Julien Soinita (pictured right), a 63-year-old mother of 8 from the rural community of Charpentier, Haiti, first visited Hope for Haiti’s Infirmary St. Etienne in Les Cayes a few years ago. She was seeking answers about tingling sensations and discomfort around her body.
The team at the Infirmary St. Etienne (ISE) diagnosed Julien with type 2 diabetes and prescribed her medication to treat it, but after some time, Julien returned to the ISE, reporting gastrointestinal distress.
The Hope for Haiti team spoke with Julien and one of her daughters, Naike, about her symptoms. Together, they determined that the prescribed treatment was causing Julien to have some negative side effects and sought another course of treatment.
That’s when the doctor prescribed Januvia (sitagliptin), which is used with diet and exercise to help lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
This medication was generously donated to Hope for Haiti by CMMB through its Gift-In-Kind program, which supplies medications and medical supplies to 61 healthcare partners, ranging in size from small clinics to regional hospitals, and the Haitian Ministry of Health.
Thanks to partners like CMMB, approximately 1 million patients like Julien receive life-altering medication in Haiti each year through Hope for Haiti’s Gift-In-Kind program. Julien and her daughter Naike shared during a recent visit that they were very happy with the treatment and thankful for her medication.
“They take good care of people,” Julien added about the organizations.
You can help ensure that mothers like Julien have access to healthcare essentials by supporting our Healthcare program today.
