Lochard L. (LCS '14), teaching medical club in the LCS chapel after a full recovery.
Louverturians Treating Louverturians
In February 2018, medical student and junior staff member Lochard L. (LCS ‘14) fell ill with perforated appendicitis. Fortunately, he was able to receive excellent care from another LCS alumnus, Dr. Jean-Came-Emile P. (LCS ‘06).
Lochard Laguerre:
“Djim G. (LCS junior staff) was with me at St. Camille hospital where I first went. The doctors at St. Camille told me that I needed surgery and gave me choices of hospitals for my operation. They told me Bernard Mevs (Medishare), Mirebalais and the General Hospital. Djim told me that there was a Louverturian working on the surgical service at the General Hospital. Once I heard that, I trusted him even though I did not know him yet. That was the reason I chose to be sent to the General Hospital.
“It is not only a proud moment, but a significant affirmation that the mission of THP/LCS is on target. From the very beginning the mission has been to create a working society with the necessary human capital and social institutions for Haiti to succeed as a nation. This was a great Haitian success!”
When I got to the General Hospital I met Dr. Jean-Came-Emile P. and he took care of me. He came to visit to see how things were going and then talked to his co-residents to make a plan for me. He told me that he was working on getting the operation done and that it would be done as soon as possible. The next morning, we had a discussion about how the operation would be and what the risks were. Then he returned personally to put the nasogastric tube in me. He was patient with me because it was a really bad feeling. He tried four or five times and they ended up getting in place after I was asleep in the operating room.
After the operation, even though Dr. Jean-Came-Emile P. was really busy he would visit my room to check with me to make sure everything was okay.”
Dr. Jean-Came-Emile P.:
“I received a call from an LCS staff member who told me that they had a problem—we have a person who is very close to the school community who is at another hospital and he needs to be transferred to you. At the time I did not know the name of the patient. After a few hours, they called me from the emergency room and I found Lochard with abdominal pain. The next day, it was clear that it was necessary to operate. We found appendicitis with perforation. After a few days he was feeling better and he was able to be discharged.
I don’t know exactly how to describe the feeling of taking care of another LCS graduate. It was not only me—there were two other residents working with me. We called the faculty surgeon and he told us to go ahead and that he was available if there were any issues. Everything went very well without complications. I thank God. It is a big family at LCS and it is very emotional when we can help each other.”