I can remember so many different adults telling me to enjoy the time while I can because when you get older time moves a lot faster.
I did not believe them then, but I sure do now… I cannot believe 4 years has passed since Reach Out World Wide made its inaugural mission into Haiti to help with the Earthquake recovery. In honor of this anniversary, I thought it would be fun to share with you all a few memories I have from those days as well as the days leading up to Haiti.
I have included several pictures below with a little story that goes with each. I have more pictures from Haiti on my personal Facebook page if you ever wish to check them out, here is a link ( Jesse Brisendine Facebook page ).
Paul first told me about his dream to start a charity called Reach Out World Wide on June 21st, 2009. I can remember the exact date because it was the Sunday after my friend had committed suicide, and Paul chose then to share his dream with me in hopes that it would lift my spirits.
Periodically over the next 7 months leading up to Haiti, whenever Paul and I would hang out, ROWW would always be a topic of conversation - how it would run, what it would grow into, and the difference it could make in the world.
When the decision was made to go to Haiti, as fate would have it I happened to be in Costco, and so I immediately started running up and down the isles grabbing what I thought would be essential provisions: calorie dense food, medical supplies, and toilet paper. I remember my heart was beating so fast; I was nervous, but more than anything I was excited because I knew I was going to get to be a part of something very special.
Over the next several days Paul and I made runs to REI, the military surplus store, several different sporting goods stores, as well as various medical facilities. Paul wanted to make sure we were prepared for anything, and that we would be self sufficient; meaning that we would not require resources or supplies from any other agency. In short we could fully take care of ourselves, which would make us more effective and able to help others.
This is also the reason that you will see us all wearing "military style" outfits in the pictures below. You see at the time, the media was reporting about how people, desperate for help, were showing up at various aide areas with machetes and having confrontations and taking supplies. We felt that if we looked like American Military, people would be less inclined to mess with us and try to steal from us.
Our "costumes," ended up becoming a running joke for us all while in Haiti because we never encountered anything remotely violent while there. I felt like we were G.I. JOE and we had showed up to scare off COBRA, but COBRA didn't get the memo to come. hahaha.
Anyways… before we could get into Haiti we were in the Dominican Republic at a shelter helping to pack up supplies to be sent over to Haiti. The below picture captures just a small amount of the activity that was going on and the effort that was being put into helping the Haitian people.
It was time to cross the boarder and we wanted to check supplies one last time, see picture below.
At the center of this picture was my proud contribution to our supplies. Toilet paper :) There is nothing scarier than to be stranded without toilet paper.
The below picture was from the helicopter ride into Haiti from the Dominican Republic. This was the first time I had ever been on a Helicopter.
Much of Haiti looked like the below picture… absolute total devastation. This picture is powerful because it shows how in need of help much of the world is, especially after a major disaster strikes. All of us can always do a little more to help others. Whether is is going there directly, donating money, or raising awareness about charities, like ROWW, all of these actions make a difference in helping others in need.
The spot where we set up camp looked like this when we go there. People sleeping out in the field, bunched up together, with a small tent or two to help with the more severely injured.
I will never forget the below moment: the guy giving the thumbs up, came up to me and said, "Sir, sir will you record my picture please." I happily obliged and took this picture, which I still have on my wall today. I remember thinking, "I bet he has never had his picture taken before..."
One night we were woken up by a bunch of big semi trucks that showed up filled with supplies. In addition, two UN mobile medical trucks also showed up. It caused quite the commotion.
In the above picture I am wearing "Dog Tags," Paul and I got these made to commemorate ROWW's inaugural mission. The below picture is a close up of them. I have been wearing them this week to honor ROWW, Haiti, and remind myself of my experiences there. In addition, I have been wearing these camouflage pants a lot the last seven weeks as they remind me of Haiti and of Paul.
Note: you will see on the id's that it says "REACT." REACT was the original name of ROWW, but we later learned that there was some legal mumbo jumbo that would prevent us from using the name "REACT." Because of this "legal stuff," ROWW became ROWW. :)
There were more wounded than we had supplies to accommodate so we had to make do and use things like mattresses, as pictured below, as makeshift stretchers. People would be moved from the initial assessment area to a separate section of the field based on the severity of their injuries.
Like I said we did not have a lot of supplies/modern technology to make certain jobs easier. So this left us to do things the old fashioned way and make a human assembly line. You can see me below holding the box. There are probably another 6 or 7 people inside the truck on the left, as well as another 6 or 7 completing the line going into the building on the right.
This guy (pictured below), and I did not share a language, but really formed a bond and mutual respect for one another as we unloaded this massive truck. The entire process took over 3 hours in the nearly 90+ degree heat. After we finished we exchanged high fives.
When we got to the spot that we camped at in Haiti, everyone was sleeping out in the fields. Eventually we were able to get ahold of a bunch of tents. The below picture is the beginning of setting up "tent city." As they say: "Team work makes the Dream work."
Below is a picture showing the fruits of our labor. When we first arrived at this spot we were 5 friends who wanted to make a difference and help people who were less fortunate. When we left we were Reach Out World Wide, a group of people who knew we could make a difference.
What difference did ROWW make on its' inaugural mission? To give you an idea: when we first arrived in Haiti the area we were based out of had about 40 people there all sleeping outside, with minimal supplies. By the time we left there were over 400 people, tents to house most of them, a well stocked supply room, and an accelerated system of treating patients.
Every single human being has the ability to make a difference in the life of another.
The below picture is me, one of the doctors, and a few of the kids who helped out as interpreters.
The original 5. From left to right, Lucas, Dave, Me, Brandon, Paul. Also pictured a couple doctors who were there volunteering as well as a few new friends.
Four years later Reach Out World Wide has grown by leaps and bounds from our initial trip into Haiti, AND, as long as you all continue to support it, spread the word about it, "share" it with your friends and family, ROWW will keep on growing.
Paul had big dreams of what he envisioned ROWW becoming. He and I would have those "Rocking Chair" talks… You know the ones where you imagine that you are old men sitting around in your rocking chair talking about the "good ole" days. When we would have these talks, we always talked about how cool it was going to be to see how much ROWW had grown and to know that we were there at the beginning.
With Paul gone, it is now up to us all to pick up where he left off and keep ROWW thriving so that it can continue making the global impact that it is. Each and every single one of us has the ability to make a difference. Remember the smallest of gestures, a smile, can change someone's life.
I hope you all enjoyed this trip down memory lane, I certainly did.
Carpe Diem,
Jesse
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