Rebecca & Wadley

Community servants forced to flee gang violence

Until October 2023, Wadley and Rebecca lived a peaceful and quiet life together despite the political situations and tensions that their country has experienced. Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, they fell in love and married in 2016. Rebecca attended medical school while Wadley advanced in his career as a bank accountant. Rebecca decided to finish her studies by specializing in otolaryngology, better known as an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) doctor. Wadley became a Senior Operations Officer at his workplace. Their family grew with three beautiful children.

Seeing the lack of adequate healthcare in her home region, Rebecca opened a community clinic to serve those in need. She and a small team of fellow health professionals provided life-saving services to hundreds of people in her community over three-plus years. Wanting to get more involved in the clinic’s outreach, Wadley transitioned from his successful career in finance to the human services field. He returned to college where he earned a degree in psychology. Working under the supervision of one of Haiti’s leading specialists in the field of neurodevelopmental care, Wadley worked diligently to conduct assessments, assist individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, participate in education, therapy, and language workshops, coach parents, and refer cases for effective therapeutic care. He and Rebecca began raising several animals for animal-assisted therapy and growing several types of plants for nettle therapy. Together, they were raising a beautiful family and serving their community. All of this was turned upside down though, in one fateful night.

Wadley and Rebecca were well aware of the turmoil in their beloved home country. In recent years, they had seen and to some extent experienced the devastating effects of natural disasters, limited resources, and the collapse of formal government. They knew that gang violence was increasing throughout the country, but they had not experienced it themselves. The situation began to worsen in October of 2023, and became chaotic on November 1, 2023, when armed gangs laid siege to the Mariani area of ​​Gressier.

Their entire family was sleeping peacefully in their home that night when they were awakened by the sound of rapid gunfire. One after another, Rebecca soon realized that the gunshots were ringing out throughout the area as if they were heading straight for her own residence. Terrified, she ran to her children, pulled them to the ground and lay on top of them in an act of selfless protection. She did her best to calm them and keep them quiet. After a few minutes, the shooting stopped. Rebecca and Wadley spent the rest of the night terrified for their lives and the lives of their children, trying to decide what to do next. They knew they had to flee immediately or they would be targeted.

The next morning, they gathered their children and a few essentials and left their home. They had to cover their children’s eyes as they walked the streets to protect them from the aftermath of the deadly attack.

They spent the next two months with relatives, planning how best to care for their young family. They were able to obtain humanitarian parole status through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and made plans to join Rebecca’s parents in Columbus. They bought plane tickets as soon as they could and arrived in Columbus in January of 2024.

Their first few weeks in Columbus were very challenging. One of the first things they had to deal with was getting winter clothing, as they arrived in the middle of winter wearing clothes from the hot, humid tropical climate they grew up in. Beyond that, they struggled to navigate American systems like school registration, the Social Security office, identifying community resources, transportation, and more. It was a stark contrast to the lives they left behind in Haiti as community leaders.

Through a referral from an acquaintance, Rebecca and Wadley connected with Guerling Saint-Louis, a case worker with CRIS’ Newcomer Support Services Program, in March. In Wadley’s words, “Guerling and the CRIS team have been like angels to us. They helped connect us to necessary resources when we needed them.”

Since then, Wadley and Rebecca have completed certification training in phlebotomy. They have also volunteered as first aid volunteers for the American Red Cross to integrate and focus on their duty to always serve their community. They were both recently hired as phlebotomists at local hospitals and will begin work this month (September of 2024). Their eldest is now in school.

Both Rebecca and Wadley have aspirations for their new lives here in the United States. Rebecca explains: “We want to rebuild our lives here because we are looking for peace and security." Wadley adds, "We did not come to the United States to seek help. We want to come here, build a new life, and integrate while making our contribution to this society.” Despite their nostalgia for their home country–including its beautiful beaches, tropical temperatures, and natural vegetation–which is now in the process of being destroyed, they greatly wish for an improvement in terms of security.

Rebecca plans to complete the complex process of becoming a doctor here in the United States, which will include preparing for and passing the U.S. medical licensing exams. Wadley hopes to return to the field of psychology to serve people with intellectual disabilities as he did in Haiti. Despite the challenges of starting anew, they both have peace of mind knowing that they will be able to raise their children in safety and stability.