There was an emotional reunion at Pearson International Airport overnight.
A group of Canadians, including two women from Innisfil, were able to flee from violent protests in Haiti and be reunited with their family.
Lisa Sturdy and her daughter Lauren Davey are thankful to be home in Gilford on Tuesday.
“It was a shock compared to anything you see around here,” explains Davey. “You’ve seen pictures, and you have heard about it, but it’s nothing until you see it.”
The protests erupted in the capital city of Port-au-Prince the day after the women arrived in Haiti on a mission to volunteer with a group of nurses. Foreign affairs then urged all Canadians to get out of the country while commercial flights were still available.
“We were shielded from it all, and I didn’t think much of it until it was time to leave, and we couldn’t,” she says. “It wasn’t safe for the group to travel back through the city to the international airport.”
“There was violence, there were fires, things were escalating in Port-au-Prince,” recalls Sturdy.
The pair say that the Canadian embassy wasn't helpful in their situation. Instead, a Go Fund Me account quickly raised money for the group to charter a helicopter that flew them to the international airport where they caught the last flight out.
While the experience was stressful, the women vow to return someday to continue to help the Haitian people, but not until law and order can be restored.
“Our eyes are open a little wider,” says Sturdy. “We are more knowledgeable, and we are grateful for the support that everyone has given.”
The Go Fund Me account raised more money than required to get everyone home, so the extra will be put towards continuing charitable work in Haiti.
