Boogie in Haiti

As you might not have known DJ Boogie Down (Dr. Santiago Arruffat) is a surgeon and has volunteered to go to Haiti to offer support to the earthquake victims there.  I just recently received a couple of text messages in which he’s updating friends and family on his status.  I will share a few excerpts and hope he doesn’t mind me sharing.

Feb 2, 2010 6:49pm

Hi all. We made it OK.  Here in pap (Port-Au-Prince) now.  Hot.  We are waiting for the next move.  We are all in a house waiting for a ride to the general hospital and to speak to the head nurse for assignment.

Conditions here are beyond what you have seen or can imagine.  Poverty is just appalling, painful to see the little kids in this place.  Hopefully tomorrow we can get started.  May even be tonight.  We have had very little sleep since departure and water is sparse.  We are rationing wisely.  Dinner?

Feb 2, 2010 7:04pm

This place is just unreal.  It has been a relatively slow day.  We were told not to expect anymore acute traumas (except for the gunshots at night) and they were right.  We went to the local clinic and… nothing.  We are going to the general hospital tomorrow where the action is.  The head nurse is expecting us.  There is also a hospital very near to where we are now.  We will try it first.

Today I saw many children in need of the very basics, things we take for granted.  This place is so abandoned, disheveled and unkempt.  Way over populated.

Update you again tomorrow.  Electricity is out and roughing it in a tent tonight.

I salute you Boogie and stay safe over there…