The Strength of Wadechine Lexine
As we talk to more children who survived the earthquake, I will try to give you a glimpse into what a couple of them experienced when the quake struck and during the days that followed. These posts are graphic in their descriptions, but are first hand accounts. I’ll start with Wadechine Lexine.
Wadechine is twelve years old and on January 12th she was visiting the home of her aunt, uncle and cousins on the other side of Port Au Prince. She was in the shower at 4:53 pm when the earth began to shake and bricks fell from the ceiling. One smashed and broke her arm before she could escape and join her cousins as they sprinted into an open field across the street.
Everyone in the house made it out alive but before the sun set, Wadechine witnessed several people trying to recover the body of Rosemirline, their 26 year old neighbor. They were only able to extract her body from the waist up.
When the quake struck, Wadechine’s father was at work, but within a few hours he made it through the apocalyptic chaos of Port Au Prince and was able to comfort Wadechine in the field across the street. They lived in that field for 15 days without shelter.
On day three, Wadechine received word that her mother had died in their own home when it collapsed on top of her. She was alone when she passed, and like more than 100,000 others, there was no funeral.
On day eight, Wadechine finally found medical treatment for her broken arm. The pain was excruciating when they set the arm and it has still not fully healed.
Wadechine now lives in Rousseau Village with her 25 year old brother and two younger siblings, where she now attends a buildOn school. Her favorite subjects are math and French.
Wadechine dreams of becoming a doctor. And as you can see, her beautiful smile has returned.