Members and volunteers of the West Tennessee Haiti Partnership are deeply invested in the health and well-being of the students at St. Vincent’s, so we are very excited about the current medical venture of beloved student, Bergens Souffrant.
Volunteers at the school, of course, never choose favorites, but let’s just say that everyone who knows him lights up when they see Bergens. He is a charming, hilarious, energetic 10 year old with a huge smile, easy laugh, and relentlessly positive demeanor. I mean just look at this guy…
Bergens was born without arms and with severe scoliosis. Doctors have predicted that he will not likely survive beyond the age of 12. Worse still, there are no Haitian facilities with the capacity to provide the surgeries Bergens requires. None of this has ever slowed him down. 
Fortunately, WTHP is not the only organization committed to helping these kids. Jacob’s Color Link Initiative is an organization dedicated to inspire and advocate for persons with disabilities in Haiti. Through their tireless efforts, JCLI has managed to find compassionate surgeons who were willing to help and to raise enough money to bring Bergens and his mother to the Shriner’s Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts. The series of surgeries and and post-op therapies will cost millions of dollars, and it is only possible through the donations of people like you, who spend their time reading posts about a little boy with a crooked spine who lives hundreds of miles away.
Bergens had his first surgical consult on September 21st. He is being accompanied by JCLI’s Executive Director Tom Landry.
We will keep you posted on Bergens’s progress as often as possible, but you can also check JCLI’s facebook page for more current information.
