Haitian Medical Evacuee Follow-up ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - After spending the past few weeks at the Shepherd Center Rehabilitation hospital, both James Pierre and Enrique Luis are beginning to take steps toward recovery, out of a wheelchair and on to the treadmill: something unimaginable a couple months ago.

When the earthquake struck Port -au-Prince on January 20th, 48-year-old Enrique Luis was helping his 8-year old son with homework.
He says he managed to push his son out the door, but he was unable to get out before a wall crumbled on top of him.

21-year-old James Pierre was about to take a shower when the tremblor struck.

Before he could reach the balcony to jump off, the house collapsed, a wall fell on his back.

Both men suffered serious spinal chord injuries and spent the next couple weeks in and out of Haitian field hospitals. With limited resources, they were given little treatment and no hope of walking again.

Then, they were airlifted to Atlanta, underwent surgery at Grady Hospital, rehab at the Shepherd Center, and given a new lease on life.

James and Enrique have moved from in-patients to out-patients- and into an apartment of their own. Coordinating their steps toward independence has been the Refugee Resettlement and Immigration services of Atlanta. (RRISA)

RRISA's development director Leanne Rubenstein says now that a significant number of the Haitians have been discharged from hospitals, they are able to get them into permanent housing. RRISA is working with the Shepherd Center, Church World Services, UMCOR, the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, and other non-profit organizations to help the medical evacuees still here settle into a somewhat normal life.

"We're getting them into apartments," says Rubenstein, "then acclimating them to new community with grocery shopping, how to use public transportation, and really daily living beginning after dealing with staying in a hospital quite a while."

With Enrique and James, that included making their apartment wheelchair accessible. Helping that transition was the Shepherd Center's case manager Dyan Johnson. "Luckily these two patients didn't need a lot of assistance once they left, we were able to teach them to do a lot of stuff on their own, but they still needed a little assistance."

With continuing therapy over the next few months, Enrique and James are both expected to walk again- maybe not like before- but walk nonetheless.

They are learning English at RRISA, with other Haitians in similar situations. They are also waiting to hear whether any family members will be allowed to travel here from Haiti.

For now, James and Enrique, who met in rehab, rely on each other, the community, and RRISA.

James says he wants to stay here because of the care, to learn English and continue his studies.

Enrique says his biggest hope is to walk again. He would like to stay here as he has no home to go back to, and if he can learn English, he can make better life here.

A total of 48 Haitians were brought to Atlanta for medical treatment after the quake. Some are still are still in hospitals, one has gone back to Haiti. A few did not survive. Others are living in the same apartment complex as Enrique and James. © Copyright 2012, WABE