Hargreaves And Fry Embark On Haiti Mission Trip

Photo by Elizabeth Hargreaves
 
Photo by Elizabeth Hargreaves
 
By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Los Alamos
 
Katherine Fry and friend Elizabeth Hargreaves make one divine duo, as they head to Haiti on a mission trip of hope and healing during September.
 
Fry has herself recently had some personal healing, having knee surgery.
 
“I am grateful for the ability to have a knee replacement, to be able to see a medical doctor when I want/need to, without waiting for weeks or months and not having to walk great distances on a dirt road to see a medical professional,” Fry said. “That includes; being able to have physical therapy to help with my recovery.”
 
According to the local team, it costs approximately $15,000 for each two week clinic. The funds raised cover Haitian interpreters, housekeepers, cooks, grounds crew, escorts to off-site activities and medications.
 
The trip is the third for Hargreaves and the sixth for Fry. They both agree that the trip is hard, the sunrise and sunsets over the ocean are beautiful and that their work while minimal in their eyes makes a huge impact for the families whose lives they touch, even though the needs are so profound.
 
Hargreaves loves the beauty of the children, even though they are unaware of the difficulty of their own circumstances.
 
“They love to touch your white skin because they have so little contact with white people,” she said.
 
Fry enjoys the patience and gratitude of those she serves during her time in Haiti.
 
“The beautiful older women are so appreciative of anything you do for them whether it is to sit with them or just dispense their medication,” she said.
 
Observations may be especially hard for Fry when she sees certain medical conditions, which may be readily treatable in the United States but in Haiti can’t be addressed to their full potential.
 
The trip is scheduled for Sept. 8-21 and monetary donations are being acceptede at the pharmacy in Smith’s Marketplace in Los Alamos. Last year, not all of their bags arrived to their destination, so traveling with funds to make purchases or receiving donations for travel through Friends of Haiti is a better plan.
 
The local team encourages the community to stay in touch throughout the trip by visiting www.fotcoh.org , where viewers are able to see what is happening at the clinic, as each US team updates donors by making blog posts.
 
Fry thanks her co-workers at the Smith’s Marketplace which not only ensure her vacation time, but cover additional shifts in her absence.
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