I actually think my first trip with Holly and Jim to Haiti was in the fall of 2017. We were accompanied by Katarina Vandish who is now in veterinary school. My part on that trip was placing IV catheters and anesthetizing patients in addition to vaccines and deworming. Several local young men helped with restraining animals. They were rougher than needed and Holly decided that we’d bring an extra assistant for future trips. By us demonstrating that you don’t have to be rough, we had hopes that the children (always watching) would learn gentleness with animals.
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Holly doing surgery.
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That trip in 2017 was during rainy season. The roads were terrible already but the downpours made them worse each day. I remember the first place we set up was outside of a little store under a tree in the dirt. There were chickens, goats, and children wandering through our “surgery suite” constantly. When it rained, the big branches of the tree and an umbrella helped keep the surgery table and patients dry. Other places we set up—a different location each day of a trip—were a welding shed, a fish processing site near the ocean, a school, and the front “yard” of a house; no running water or electricity. When we’d carry on too late—trying to get just one or two more pets taken care of—the local guys would pull up their trucks and turn on the headlights.
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Holly with friend
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We had a “base camp” we lived in while there. There was a hotel called the Hibiscus that we stayed in twice. It was gated and guarded with a little restaurant associated where we ate breakfast and supper. Nearby there was a church and the sound of sweet voices singing on Sunday mornings was a definite bonus. The last time I went—accompanied by my husband Kevin, and vet assistant Shantry Paggett—we stayed in some rooms next to a school. Each morning, the children would gather in the school yard and sing the Haitian Anthem.
Holly and Jim have helped the community there so much. They are paying for three young girls to attend school there—school is not free. They helped set up a goat co-op. They’ve sent supplies and money after natural disasters. These people are their friends.
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Allison with clients
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Holly and Jim
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Holly's team
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