Meet Nono!
Nono (the man on the left) is the lead prosthetistat the prosthetic lab at Mission of Hope (MOH). His son lost his leg in the 2010 earthquake, which brought them to the lab at MOH. Nono spent a lot of time there while his son was in the process of getting a prosthetic leg. While there he learned all about the process of making a prosthetic leg; how to physically make the prosthesis, how to fit it to a patient and how to teach the patient to walk with it. His curiosity, his ability to learn quickly and his passion landed him a job in the lab.
I was given the opportunity to shadow in the prosthetics lab. Nono and Peter, the MOH intern, showed me the process of making a prosthetic leg and I even got to help make one! The MOH prosthetic lab is1 of 3 remaining prosthetics lab in Haiti and it’s the only one that is free for patients. Most patients that come to the lab have lost part of their leg due to the 2010 earthquake, diabetes or a motorcycle accident. It’s already very challenging for able bodied Haitians to find jobs and it’s nearly impossible for Haitians who are disabled. The MOH prosthetic lab gives patients a second chance at finding a job and being able to provide for their family.
Not only was I able to learn how to make a prosthetic leg, but I was able to interact with patients. During my time in the lab there was a patient who had their prosthetic leg fitted, a patient practicing walking with their prosthetic legs and 2 patients who received their final prosthetic leg and walked out the door. I met a woman patient, Ednie, who was a double amputee due to diabetes. She was in the lab for over 2 hours practicing using her new legs. Learning to walk is hard work, but she was very determined to learn. I was able to speak with her, encourage her, hear her story and pray with her.
Watching Nono interact with his patients was a great experience. His passion for helping others pours out from him through his hard work and patient demeanor. It was a very unique experience being able to see how peoples’ lives were changed through a prosthetic lab.
