Five days after a devastating earthquake hit the country of Haiti in January of 2010, we boarded five Angel Flight planes with a medical team to go to Haiti to help. Our team spent the next week working at Haitian Community Hospital in Port-au-Prince. Team members called the experience life changing and surreal. There are many stories of life, death, hope, and love that took place during this time. Here is just one of those stories about baby Bondye Sov.
Right after the earthquake struck, a mom went into labor. She made her way to Haitian Community Hospital, where she gave birth. The baby girl was only at seven months term and was born prematurely. As she was tiny and unable to breath on her own, it seemed that our team member who had experience as a neonatal nurse, was in just the right place at the right time. She took charge of the infant’s care and stayed with her for 24 hours while two other team members rotated in shifts to constantly pump air into her lungs to keep her alive. This had to be done with an adult-sized Ambu bag, as no infant or neonatal supplies were available. We prayed constantly that we would be able to keep this child alive. All the while, her mother lay in the bed beside us in the room. Finally, we received word that an Israeli medical ship has docked at the port and had the equipment and supplies that the baby needed. As mom was being prepared to leave for the ship, we asked if she had given the baby a name. She said that she was going to call her Bondye Sov, which in Haitian Creole means God Save. She said she believed that God had sent us to save her baby.
In the chaos and confusion that was PAP, we lost track of Bondye Sov, but we believe that God was and still is with her.
Bondye Sov
Kim Parris and Lori Saia taking care of Bondye Sov at Haitian Community Hospital in Port-au-Prince.
