Jasmine Marcelin, M.D., filled the suitcase with water purification tablets, Tylenol and other over-the-counter medications, wound care materials, solar-powered phone chargers and non-perishable food.
 |
Dr. Marcelin’s parents, Asquith and Myrtle Riviere, display the artwork the family sent them. |
But, it was two crayon drawings — her baby’s scribble marks and her kindergartener’s stick people drawn on the opposite side of the mailing address — that her loved ones may have treasured most.
“The drawings represented hope for (mom),” said Dr. Marcelin, an assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases.
It’s been more than two months since the Category 4 storm hit the Commonwealth of Dominica in the Caribbean, and still, her parents, paternal grandmother, uncles, aunts and cousins, are without electricity, without safe water and without reliable communication services. Only recently were they able to enclose the roof of their house to avoid rain. Others aren’t that fortunate.
“I can see the toll it’s taken on them, but I can also see they’re OK,” Dr. Marcelin said, grateful for the sporadic communication she’s had with her parents. “I think about them every day and wish I could drop everything and go, or convince them to drop everything and come, but that’s not realistic. So, I’m being grateful that they’re alive and well, and they are trying to regain some semblance of a normal life.
“I realize there is a lot out of my hands, but I see how the little things I do can impact multiple people,” she said, pleased that the supplies she sent were shared among the villagers. “I’m resigned to knowing I can’t change the world, but I can impact one person or two people’s lives. And, if we all believe we can impact one person’s life, then we can change things quickly.”
She knows the world is distracted by the latest crisis, and understands how disaster fatigue sets in. “It’s been two months and we’re not talking about Puerto Rico anymore, and Dominica is the furthest from anyone’s mind. It’s going to be hard to get people to care,” she said.
Still, she’s buoyed by the resilience of the Dominican people, who on Nov. 3 celebrated their independence — not with their traditional Creole music festival — but with a prayer gathering. “The photos speak to the faith of these people . . . their strength and hope.”
And, with a helping hand, she knows they can regain their footing on the island they call home.