Altus pediatrician takes on mission in Haiti
Dr. Lindsey King of Jackson County Memorial Hospital (JCMH) recently embarked on a mission. Where did that mission take her? Into the heart of Haiti.
Dr. King serves as a pediatrician for JCMH, and after the recent hurricane in Houston, she traveled to Port Aransas with a carload of supplies to find out how she could help. After posting on social media about the trip, a mentor reached out and invited her on a mission trip to Haiti with the organization Mission of Hope.
Mission of Hope has been a Haiti based organization since 1983 whose goal is to provide the people living there with Christ-centered medical treatment, orphan care, and nutritional and education services.
Dr. King's mission lasted one week. She lead a team of 16 people that treated about 500 individuals. Her team included physicians, nurse, pastors and non-medical volunteers.
About her trip, Dr. King stated that she was very blessed by meeting the Haitians and getting to know them. "I was impressed by their outlook on life," Dr. King said. "We perceive their conditions as awful and desolate, yet they praise God and speak of their blessings. That impressed me.”
Dr. King also emphasized why Mission of Hope was so important to the people of Haiti.
Dr. King said, "It is a very poor country – in finances, food and economy. We were in very rural areas. There was no electricity or running water. Mission of Hope sends a mobile medical unit to each village about every 3 months. This is the only access to medical care for most Haitians. In larger cities, hospitals turn patients away if they cannot pay for care, which most cannot. I treated adults as well as children. Many people had high blood pressure and diabetes. There was no refrigeration in their homes to store insulin. We brought general medical supplies and worked with a very limited pharmaceutical formulary. We did the best we could.”
Dr. King noted that the trip provided not only perspective, but a greater appreciation for things.
"I have a better appreciation for my patients," Dr. King said. "It is a privilege to be trusted with someone’s health and to be a part of their life. It has also given me a better view of humanity and has made me kinder. This trip impacted me spiritually, physically and emotionally. Even being gone for just one week, it was difficult to return. I was overcome by the over-abundance we have here. A fellow team member described Haiti perfectly, saying it is 'indescribable beauty next to unfathomable brokenness.'”
Dr. King can be reached at the JCMH Pediatric Clinic by calling 580-379-6100 or visiting 101 S. Park Lane, Altus, OK 73521.
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