Following her heart with suitcase in hand 

Anne Zelazoski loves to travel. But instead of heading for a resort or the beach, Zelazoski heads to a tiny village in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

While this may not sound like a dream vacation for some, Zelazoski, a nurse at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, gets tremendous satisfaction from spending her days this way. Through the Friends of Haiti headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Zelazoski and 40 other people travel to this impoverished country to help with health care, education, clean drinking water and agriculture for two weeks, twice a year.

Prior to her first trip, Zelazoski helped her mom, also a nurse, prepare for the missions by packing materials. Zelazoski was hooked by the end of nursing school; she has traveled to Haiti five times, most recently in October.

Zelazoski says every trip is different. The group sets up a clinic, usually in a church,
to provide a variety of services and care. From dispensing pain relievers and vitamins
to delivering babies and treating malnourished children and adults, the volunteers see everything. They know that for a lot of their patients, this is the only medical care they ever receive.

Zelazoski has taken what she has learned at Children's Hospital with her to Haiti. The biggest lesson she has learned is the importance of treating the whole family, not just the patient. By providing education to Haitian families about preventative care or medicine usage, she can keep them healthy when the clinics are not there.

Zelazoski and her peers encounter many grim situations that won't have happy endings. "It's heartbreaking that you can't see everyone in that period of time or help those whose health problems are too far along to change," Zelazoski said. "There are only so many staff, so many days and so many supplies. You can't get to everyone." Zelazoski knows, despite the discouraging situations, her work in Haiti makes a difference.

Zelazoski also has taken lessons learned in Haiti back to her daily practices in the
Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. She appreciates having everything that she
needs at her fingertips. And while she's working at Children's Hospital, she's inspiring her colleagues to help beyond our borders. Her co-worker, Jennifer Strike, BSN, RN, joined her on her trip to Haiti in October.

The medical missions offer "a chance to step outside your normal life and change your life. They teach you how to do medicine in a whole different way," Zelazoski said. "I get such satisfaction out of knowing that I've helped so many people."