GUEST BLOG by Howard Weber, ALYN supporter and WHEELS OF LOVE Rider

I want to write an open letter to Cathy Lanyard, the Executive Director of the American Friends of ALYN Hospital.  I have gotten to know Cathy over the years because I am a rider in the annual charity bike ride for ALYN – WHEELS OF LOVE – that takes place every fall in Israel.  Just as I leave my office and its obligations behind to participate in the ride, Cathy leaves her myriad responsibilties at the New York office of The American Friends of ALYN and becomes a vital part of the ride.  Among other things, she serves as our “Camp Mother” for the 5 days of the ride. 

She recently organized a reunion for the New York area riders who participated in WHEELS OF LOVE 2011.  It is part of her ongoing plan to keep us together as a family between rides and also to remind us that ALYN is about much more than the bike ride.

Cathy, thank you for pulling the reunion together. You are truly an amazing person–within a five minute speech, you introduced several new ideas and concepts to make next year’s ride even better and I know how hard you will work to insure its success.

I also have to tell you that your idea that I should contact past donors by email who may have forgotten to give was brilliant, and resulted in several hundred dollars of additional donations towards my sponsorship! This year, I again heard from several people who supported my ride letting me know how quickly they received a ’really wonderful letter’ thanking them from ALYN.

In the world of Jewish charities, it is so rare for people to feel their donations count, and your thoughtful, ‘personal’ responses (which are sent out more quickly that any organization I’ve ever seen) really make a difference.

I can’t wait to do my part again, knowing that my one week of riding is supported by your 52 weeks of hard work.
Just wanted to say ‘thanks’.

Howard Weber

 

BELT TIGHTENING RESULTS IN PRICELESS REWARDS

For the past several years we have spent very serious money hiring temporary help to file, copy and keep us up-to-date with the huge amount of end of the year mail. This year we decided we had to save that money and find volunteers. We found two “angels” and I want you to meet them:

MARK  developed epilepsy as an adult and the condition damaged his self confidence and ability to work. He registered as a volunteer with the Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York which is how we found him. For the past three months he has come in twice a week to help alphabetize the mountains of acknowledgement letters for filling. In return for an amazing day’s work we treat him to lunch and we eat together. Every day that Mark works here he thanks us for giving him this chance. He is tireless in telling us how happy he is being here and how he is always doing his best work for the kids of ALYN!

This has been an amazing opportunity for us because we are so far away on a daily basis from ALYN Hospital and don’t have the chance to interact with the kids, teens and young adults there. Mark’s volunteering here has given us an incredible gift – the ability to actively transform a disability into an ability.

BEVERLY has been known as Grandma Bev to everyone for the 30+ years I have known her. She was forced to retire from her position as an administrative assistant/clerk in Family Court that interfaced with “Judge Judy’s” office as well as others. She has been keeping busy with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and her local senior citizens center. Blessed with a lot of energy, even all that wasn’t enough. In September, her son Kenny who was one of my very dearest and closest friends, sadly passed away. When we were together after his funeral, Bev told me she didn’t know how she would get up in the mornings. She wished she still had a job to go to!. Without really thinking, I just said “Come volunteer for us!”

I was plesaantly surprised when a few weeks later she took me up on the offer. She devotes a day a week to helping us stuff envelopes and get thank you letters in the mail. Despite the long ride she has with Access-a-Ride, she comes in smiling, often with a treat for us. Almost every time she is here, she also donates to ALYN and sends one of our beautiful tribute cards to the many people she knows. We treat Bev to lunch and she always orders a turkey sandwich which we now affectionately refer to as “The Bev”. It has been incredible to receive her help but I think what she has gotten from being here outweighs even that!

Mark and Bev have left a lasting impression on us and we all thank them on behalf of the kids at ALYN!

Cathy Lanyard

Executive Director, American Friends of ALYN Hospital

TEAM VELOJEWS Rides for ALYN Hospital

Guest Post by Carol Secor, Boulder Jewish News

We can’t believe another year has gone by and we are once again, for our 6th year, counting the days until we take your good wishes and support with us as we travel to Jerusalem to cycle for the kids of ALYN who can’t. You know how important these kids, this cause and the WHEELS OF LOVE ride have become to us. On October 24, 2010, we will once again be a part of 500 cyclists from around the world who are going to spend 5 days on bikes covering 300+ miles.

Each year we begin our trip with a tour of ALYN Hospital. We get to see firsthand the fruits of our labor and where your donation dollars go. As the only pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation center in Israel, it services victims of terrorist attacks and car accidents, children born with congenital and inherited disorders, head trauma, elective surgery, cancer and burns and injuries sustained in domestic accidents. The dedicated staff at ALYN treats thousands of youths annually, both Jewish and Arab alike. Such challenges and miracles cost money. While the number of children needing help is constantly and unfortunately growing, the Hospital’s financial resources are being taxed beyond capacity. Every year ALYN needs to raise millions of dollars just to close the gap between the actual cost of care and the amount reimbursed by referring sources. Last year’s participants managed to raise over $2 million on behalf of ALYN.

That’s really what this is all about. The people are great. The scenery is amazing. We love the cycling. But, it’s ALL about those kids.

The economy has not been kind this past year to ALYN. Because they get no government allocations and only a portion of each child’s care is reimbursed by health insurance we are determined to really outdo all our previous efforts in terms of how much money we can help raise for these kids. We are committed to push ourselves, following the lead of the heroic children of ALYN. If they can do it – so can we!

Please support our efforts by making a tax-deductible donation on our team page or by mailing a check to the American Friends of ALYN Hospital, 51 East 42nd Street, Suite 308 New York, NY 10017. Please be sure to put TEAM VELOJEWS in the memo line of the check. Thank you in advance for your generous support!

With sincere gratitude,
Carol and Joe Secor

Kites in Haiti

On Easter Sunday, we joined our other IsraAid mission members, the Tevel B’zedek volunteers, for a kite-workshop in the camp. Now we know why the kites are so important here!  They are supposed to symbolize the connection between heaven and earth and the resurrection. Many children came to the workshop and later the beautiful kites filled the sky over the camp.

We could see these kites while we had the privilege of joining a “seder” held for the teenagers of Haiti at one of the camp aide’s home. Raphael of Tevel B’zedek explained to the kids the meaning of Passover and some of the basic customs. Everyone tasted the foods and joined in. Raphael did not forget the Afikoman, but the children were too shy to “steal” it as the custom goes. They finally did it (with my encouragement) and enjoyed taking the matza and even more returning it in return for Raphael’s compass.  We sang the Hadgaddah songs and the children sang Haitian Hallelujas and thanked us.

Happy Pesach & Easter to all!

Another Team of ALYN Therapists Arrive in Haiti

Guest Post by Hedva Elharar

After a long trip, we arrived in Haiti to a warm welcome by Norma, the physiotherapist at St. Damien.  She generously praised our colleagues, Ayelet and Ofra, whom we just replaced. We promised her we would do our best to meet the high standard they set! On the way “home,” for the time we will be here, we began the process of adjusting.  Port au Prince is incredibly densely populated.  When we were in the plane we could see from above the stretches of paltry shacks – where most Haitians live, the tent camps dotting the city and people camping outside their half ruined homes.  Now on the ground, we see that people are outside their homes (if they survived!) because they are afraid of the roofs collapsing. The streets are narrow and sometimes unpaved and if traffic moves at all it is as the same pace as walking! Pick- up trucks and taxis are decorated with wall paper on all sides and carry inconceivable loads of people. Women carry huge bundles on their heads.  There are “restaurants” in the middle of the road – these are cauldrons with some bubbling stew which the chef/owner tries to sell to passers-by.

The whole city is a huge crowded market.  Everyone is trying to sell something – old shoes, second-hand bras, fruits and vegetables.  The squalor and crowding is heart breaking. Many houses are half demolished and there does not seem to be any major work being done to evacuate debris, though some places do show signs of construction. After more than an hour and a half of traveling we arrived at our neighborhood and our “home” for the next three weeks. The house is right next to a huge crowded camp.  I cannot imagine how people can live like this for a prolonged time.

Surveying the camp gave us an immediate feel for the Haitian spirit- people are happy and smile despite the terrible situation. The children are incredibly sweet and lovely, very communicative in a straightforward and touching way. We have arrived at the start of Easter and here in Haiti kite flying is a local custom. It looks like every single child made a kite – from plastic bags and twigs – and everyone was flying their colorful kites with great deftness. It was hard to make our way through the crowds of kite-flyers. To see this sight in a camp so crowded that tent touches tent and dust rises with every single step and becomes slippery mud with every drop of rain and stinking streams of sewage run between the tents – is a sight that almost defies description.

The children have not yet returned to school- we’ve been told they will after Easter. We took only a few pictures because we felt embarrassed to point our cameras and capture such sorrow.

Heavy Rains Ruin Camps But Not Spirits

Guest Post by Ofra Ginat

Last night the first heavy rain fell. We feared for the tents in the camp. Even our own modest apartment started leaking in several spots, though really it was nothing compared with what the people in the tents are going through.

The heavy rainfall through the night turned the camp sites into swamps.  So when we arrived at St. Germaine Hospital in the morning, the children we were supposed to treat were not there.

Norma (the local physiotherapist) introduced us to Suzanne, the coordinator for the St. Domaine Center, which is the general rehab center affiliated with St. Germaine Hospital.  Suzanne set us up to work with the adults – mostly with fractures and other orthopedic injuries – some of whom we were able to move out of bed for the first time since the quake!!

We also treated two children that were at St. Germaine – one with a spinal L2 injury and one with a fracture complicated by osteomyelitis. Ayelet found a child after CVA (not quake related) and referred her to St. Germaine, so after lunch we did a full intake and evaluation of her. Ayelet made a splint for her hand using a pot of hot water to soften the splint board and tailored it to her specific needs.  I assisted as much as I could and found some prefab orthosis that fit her feet from the equipment we had with us.

At noon the skies cleared and three more children managed to make it to the center where we could treat them. All in all, we made the most of the rain and managed to turn it into an opportunity to help those who have been bed-ridden since the quake.

Second Team of ALYN Therapists Arrive in Haiti

Guest Post by Ofra Ginat (Physical Therapist) and Ayelet Gal (Occupational Therapist)

The first two days here we had no Internet, so we apologize for not sending reports earlier.  We have already started working in St. Damien Hospital.   Most of the children Hilla and Coos treated are no longer at the hospital, but children are continuously being bought here.  Some children can only make the trip to the center twice a week, since the city is in ruins.

We work from 8 AM to 3 PM and then go over to the hospital where we work for as long as we are needed. We instruct parents on how to bandage amputated limbs and teach those who have prosthetics how to wear them. We help with the positioning of prosthetics and actively work on strengthening, walking, etc.

We work with a team of Italian Orthotists. There is so much work and very few physical therapists here.  The local aides are still untrained and quite overwhelmed, so they have not yet realized the need for occupational therapists. There is no one except us to do it all right now.  The people in Haiti need so much help.  So we plan to sit with Norma (the chief Physical Therapist at St. Damien) to plan several teaching sessions for her staff to introduce them to amputee treatment and to encourage independency.

ALYN Therapists Help Child Amputee Walk Again

Published by IsraAID

When the earthquake struck Haiti last month, five-year-old Simmorville Keture was buried underneath her home. Simmorville survived, but her right leg had to be amputated.  One among the many wounded, she lay helpless in a bed for one month until ALYN therapists arrived with the IsraAid disaster relief team.  After being provided with crutches and taught to stand,  Simmorville began to walk again within minutes, astonishing the local hospital staff. She was one of 15 children with severe injuries and amputations at the Sacred Heart Hospital Center (CDTI, Centre Hospitalier du Sacre-Coeur) in Port au Prince who have benefited from a unique program also currently operated by the Israeli team.

 
Simmorville’s first steps brought a bright ray of light to survivors and therapists alike.  Such hands-on therapies will be available to more children as IsraAID disaster relief programs in Haiti expand from emergency medical aid to include post trauma child-friendly programs and community centers through its member group Tevel Be’Tzedek.

The IsraAID/ Tevel Be’Tzedek team includes two Israeli therapists from ALYN Hospital, who in the past few days have been treating 15 children at Sacred Heart, as well as assessing the needs of children across the stricken area.

Ground Assessment from Haiti

Guest Post by Hilla Boral

Today I stayed at camp to work on logistics while Coos went back to the Sacred Heart Hospital. We are part of the compound and have an assigned share of cleaning, food preparation, etc. Today there is a lot to do because tomorrow morning a huge air-conditioned tent will be put up, which was donated by actor Sean Penn.

I have to explain how things work here.  This is a valley surrounded by slopes filled with refugee tents. It is incredibly crowded. Every family has a tiny plot to themselves. There are toilet tents and shower tents and Red Cross Clinics. We are staying at the top of the hill in the compound that the US Army set up. They are responsible for food and water distribution (unbelievable heaps of bottled water), security and hygiene. There are three organizations with us. One is Sean Penn’s, who brought over a medical and logistics team, another is Oxfam, which deals with the logistics of running the refugee camp, and then there are the ten of us with IsraAID.  I met Sean Penn walking around as one of the team members. They say he will also provide a better Internet connection  – I hope so.

While writing this report a US soldier showed up looking for an Occupational Therapist. I went with him and prepared a splint for a woman at their clinic. Her hand was crushed in the quake and contractures are already setting in. I showed her some exercises and made her balloons filled with flour to use for therapy.

I feel we are starting to get a clearer picture. We have yet to locate more kids. We need to find where the badly injured children are and where will they be sent later. We asked for a tour of the USS Comfort because we think that would be a great help.

Coos really wants to care for the children right away and I completely understand him. I thought we would spend half of each day doing therapies and the rest of the time looking at new places, but it hasn’t worked out that way.  Coos and I are fine despite the hardships – all the discomfort is negligible and unimportant.

Today is my birthday and we had a celebration with balloons and it was very sweet. I received congratulations from everyone here and back home. I wish you all a great day.

Coos Visits St. Germaine Hospital in Haiti

Guest Post by Coos Wever

I was thrilled with my visit to St. Germaine Hospital.  It was a modern, well run facility that is usually a rehab center for children with developmental disabilities, but which is now fully occupied with trauma victims. There was only one physiotherapist on-site, but she was very capable and delighted to get some help from me for the 15- 20 children she was treating.  We worked together with every child and I wish I could return to help as much as she would love my help.