Bill Clinton Leads Haiti Earthquake Relief

Bill Clinton

Pol Light Moment #6 is Bill Clinton leading long-term earthquake relief efforts for the country of Haiti. Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States and served from 1993-2001. He also served as the Governor of Arkansas from 1983-1992. Bill Clinton has been serving as United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti since his appointment in May, 2009 (Source). The former President uses his Clinton Global Initiative to help with some of the needs of Haiti.

On January 12, 2010 at 4:52p.m., a 7.0 Magnitude earthquake hit Haiti. The earthquake hit about 16 miles from Haiti's capital city and impacted 3 million people. About 200,000 people perished and millions were left homeless. Bill Clinton was on the ground in Haiti within a week after the diaster and he visited Haiti 13 times in the year following the earthquake (Source). For more information on the earthquake see the Wikipedia page on this event.

Here is a CBS news video of Bill Clinton encouraging support for relief for Haiti a few days after the earthquake hit.

For more information on how Bill Clinton has lead the relief for Haiti read these online articles.

• Bill Clinton and the Country that Never Was
• Bill Clinton on Hospital Tour in Haiti
• Bill Clinton's Lasting Legacy May be Haiti

Quote Light: Bill Clinton has a page on the Quote Light blog.

Bill Clinton has been featured in other Pol Light moments and can be found by searching this blog with the Bill Clinton Label.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photo: The photo of President Bill Clinton is the official photo of a US Government official and is in public domain.  The image of Haiti is from Wikipedia.

Kirsten Gillibrand Helps Haiti Cancer Patient

Pol Light Moment #5 is a story that crosses the miles from Haiti to New York City. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is a United States Senator from New York. She helped a cancer patient from Haiti secure a humanitarian visa to come to her state in the United States in 2011 for life saving medical treatment.

Ollenare Desrosiers is a schoolteacher from Haiti and the mother of two children. In 2011 she needed radiation treatment to help assure that her breast cancer was eliminated. According to the New York Daily Post, "Desrosiers was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer and had a full mastectomy in Haiti, but doctors told her without radiation treatment, the cancer was likely to spread (Source)."

The one facility in Haiti that provided this was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake that hit Haiti and was not available in 2011. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was able to secure a humanitarian visa for Ollenare Desrosiers to come to New York for the needed treatment.

Ollenare Desrosiers spent a year in New York City receiving medical treatment. After the year of treatments her cancer was determined to be in remission. In February, 2012, Ollenare Desrosiers was able to return to her homeland of Haiti (Source).

For more information on this story read these articles on the situation by the New York Daily News.

• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Helps Haiti Cancer Patient Get Proper Treatment in New York City
• Home to Haiti After Life Saving Cancer Treatment in New York

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photo: The photo of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is the official photo of a US Government official and is in public domain (Source).