Update from Liv

Hello everyone,

Liv wrote this update several weeks ago, prior to our departure to Haiti. I thought it would be great to share since the supplies will be delivered to the island tomorrow!

"I met an extraordinary woman today. Her name is Kathie St. Louis. She is a brilliant woman who was brought in to this world to save lives. First, let me tell you about my heartwarming delivery I received today. A few weeks ago I accepted a call from this French woman. She was told by our other contacts from Haiti that Mass Maritime was utilizing our Training Ship Kennedy to transport needed items to the island of île-à-Vache, Haiti. With this news, she asked us if we could help her transport medical supplies to her clinic that is located on the same island we are traveling to. I confirmed that this is possible for us to do for her. After many phone calls for planning, Kathie was in our warehouse offloading her Uhaul truck with the help of her husband and work partners. They offloaded forty large bins full of medical supplies, a fridge, a testing machine, and a fence to put around the clinic to keep out intruders. Each bin is filled with items from syringes and gauze to crutches and other supplies that are predicted to help the clinic run for another year.

Before this delivery, I did not truly know the woman Kathie was. Yes, I knew over the phone that she was French and kind, but I did not fully understand who she was as a person. It was only until after I spent nearly two short hours with her that I was gifted with the pleasure of meeting a strong woman, one that has the desire to run a doctors office on Long Island, New York but also the heart to run a clinic year-round on a remote island in Haiti.

She shared in detail with me a time in her life where she saved two little boys who were severely malnourished and dancing intimately with death. Years later she ran into those same boys and did not seem to recognize them until the mother restored her memory by saying " You don't remember? They are your sons; you saved their lives." With tears falling down my cheeks I laughed with embarrassment because here I am, in a cold warehouse, standing with a woman I only met two hours ago, who has single-handedly managed to make such an impact on my life.

A few weeks from now our Mass Maritime Haiti team will be delivering those forty bins of medical supplies to the clinic. Kathie, thank you for all the hard work you do to save lives every day. You are a remarkable person, and I look forward to drinking our coconuts in Haiti together! N'a wè talè (See you soon)"