It never ceases to amaze me just how small this town of Pittsburgh is.
My friend Judy asked me to speak at the Peters Township High School Career Fair this morning. Speaking with high school students can be challenging so I was collecting my thoughts about what to say when one of the other presenters, a StatMedevac nurse, walked up to me.
I immediately recognized her as Jami Craig, who was part of a medical team that I travelled with to Haiti in 2001. The trip was one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had as a photojournalist. The photos I made during that trip and one a few weeks later to the Hopital Albert Schweitzer are very special to me.
Me and Jami
I haven’t seen Jami since a reunion we had a few months after the trip. Her hair is longer now! Here are some photos (shot on slide film) from 2001:
Nurses Andrea Loether (left), Jami Craig (center), and Dr. Theresa Murray discuss treatment options for a 12-year-old girl who had a bowel obstruction. Treatment options were limited without proper operating facilities. The girl died a few days later.
Nurse Jami Craig and members of the clinic staff try to convince an unwed teenage girl to tell her parents that she is pregnant.
Jami Craig and a girl named Fenette celebrate the end of a long day with a dance in the waiting room of the clinic in La Croix, Haiti.
If you’d like to see some more photos from our trip to Haiti, then go to my Facebook page.
In case you’re wondering, the speech went well. It’s a little bit daunting to speak in front of an auditorium full of kids. I know that at least a few of them listened because they came up to me in the open forum to ask questions.
Joe