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On December 13, Ali Moore didn’t expect to be spending Christmas in Haiti. She was finishing up the first
semester of her Masters of Public Health degree, while her husband – fellow Trinity Western University alumnus Simon Moore – was in the first year of his residency at Nanaimo General Hospital.
It was a phone call from a friend – who mentioned that Samaritans Purse was looking for medical staff over the
holidays – that got her thinking.
“Simon said, ‘Let’s think of reasons why we can go, instead of reasons why we can’t,’” said Ali. The next few days involved maneuvering around numerous hurdles. In
the end, one week after the idea was considered, they were departing on the
first of three connecting flights to Haiti.
“Cholera is a vile illness to watch. It kills its victims by sucking the fluid
and nourishment out of their bodies in the most wretched ways – profuse vomiting and diarrhea,” said Ali. The disease is most often spread through the ingestion of
contaminated food or drinking water. Water may be contaminated by the feces of
an infected person or by untreated sewage.
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“It is a simple disease, with a simple treatment plan – and for those who are afflicted and seen in appropriate time, it is like
watching someone come back to life,” she said.
As healthcare professionals in North America, both Ali and Simon were used to
seeing patients suffering. In Haiti,they encountered another side human misery.
“When you are faced with constant suffering, you have to contemplate what is
wrong with a world that is so inequitable and unjust – where even basic sanitation and hygiene are not available,” she said. “These are fundamental human needs – and, I believe, rights.”
Now back at school and work, the Moores are encouraging ongoing awareness of the
situation in Haiti.
“Our own laziness,” said Ali, “allows our minds to slip away from the reality of famine, poverty, gender-based
violence, child prostitution, disease, and death that is everyday life for so
many around the globe.”
February 2011
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