Our family planned to leave Haiti in January for medical appointments, but what we didn’t anticipate was a 28-hour ordeal. The journey left us stranded on the side of the road from 9 PM to 7 AM and required us to switch vehicles five times along the way.
Here’s how it all went down:
January 6th:
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- Vehicle 1: We left the Mole at 7:00 AM in the blue truck.
- Vehicle 2: Switched to mom’s truck in PDP at 3:30 PM. Unfortunately, we only made it 15 minutes to La Pointe.
- Vehicle 3: At 7:45 PM, we got into a small SUV. It barely fit all seven of us, and we had to hold our luggage on our laps. Roughly 90 minutes later (at 9:20 PM), it broke down in the rain. No other vehicle passed by until 7:00 AM the next day.
At this point, 24 hours had already passed.
January 7th:
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- Vehicle 4: A small car with one row of seats and a trunk picks us up. We crammed four people in the backseat, and Jose and Levi rode in the trunk. We left at 7:15 AM, but after an hour and 40 minutes, the car wouldn’t start after a gas stop.
- Vehicle 5: At 10:05 AM, a mini-bus pulled into the gas station and offered to take us the rest of the way to Cap Haitian. We finally arrived at 11:30 AM.
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January 8th:
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- Took an MFI flight to Florida, landing at 5:00 PM. Jose got a clustered migraine on the flight, making it impossible for him to drive or function for the rest of the day.
- Left Florida at 5:00 PM and drove straight to Kentucky to avoid an incoming snowstorm.
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January 9th:
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- Arrived in Kentucky at 9:45 AM Friday morning.
What a ride! Five vehicle swaps, a rainy roadside sleepover, a winter storm threat, and enough chaos to make a reality show jealous—this trip really had it all. But hey, we survived, so I guess that’s what counts… right?
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I have to take a moment to brag about my kids during our overnight roadside adventure. When our vehicle broke down, a kind family nearby offered us shelter on their porch. As soon as the rain let up, my boys, ever the creative spirits, decided to channel their inner Survivor contestants and tried their hand at making fires. The family absolutely loved it and even joined in by collecting sticks to help.
Despite having so little—they only had rainwater to drink—they never once asked us for anything. Instead, they spent the evening with us around their fireplace, chatting and sharing stories like we’d been friends for years.
I have no doubt that our unexpected visit gave them a story they’ll tell for years to come. And while most of this disastrous journey is something I’d happily erase from memory, I’ll always treasure the image of everyone laughing and connecting around that fire, turning a miserable situation into something unexpectedly heartwarming.
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A Grateful Heart and a Renewed Spirit
As many of you know, since Thanksgiving, my online presence has been almost nonexistent. Between battling typhoid and dengue fever and juggling a whirlwind of Christmas activities, it’s been hard to keep up with everything—even though so much of what we did brought incredible joy.
The reason for our trip to the States was twofold: I needed another rotator cuff surgery and had a critical appointment with my GI specialist. For the past four years, I’ve been undergoing multiple scans annually due to precancerous cells lining my esophagus. However, because of Haiti’s travel challenges, I couldn’t get my scans done last year, which has weighed heavily on my heart.
The urgency of this trip came from a scan scheduled for January 13th. My GI specialist has been strongly advocating for a surgery that involves tying off part of my esophagus to let it rest—a procedure requiring over 10 days in the hospital, with nutrients supplied through IVs. This looming possibility, coupled with years of no improvement, has been overwhelming.
Before the procedure, the doctor reiterated what I already knew—that my scans had shown no progress for four years and we couldn’t afford to wait any longer. But then, something unexpected happened.
To everyone’s shock, my esophagus is starting to heal. The acid damage had reached the point where tiny holes were almost forming, but now, for the first time in four years, the lining is rebuilding itself. The doctor was stunned, admitting he’d never seen such a turnaround. What he called rare, I call miraculous.
I still need rotator cuff surgery, but after having it twice before, I can handle that. What I couldn’t face was the dread and uncertainty surrounding my GI issues. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the prayers and support of friends and family.
Now that I’ve recovered from the exhausting travel journey and received such life-changing news, I’m ready to jump back into sharing updates. Last month was filled with life-affirming and joy-filled activities, and I can’t wait to tell you all about them.
Stay tuned—I’m hoping to have 3-4 blogs done by the end of next week. I did post a little update on Christmas Day on our personal blog in case you didn’t read it – lifeoffering.org
Thank you for your patience and for walking this journey with me! ❤️
