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Brooke Barisich was just 12 years old when Hurricane Katrina tore through St. Bernard Parish in August of 2005. Her family’s home and all of their possessions were lost, and friends and family members were scattered across several states. Brooke’s family fled to Baton Rouge with not much more than the clothes on their backs.

Brooke said that becoming a “refugee” before her 13th birthday was traumatic. But even in the face of devastation, Brooke discovered the beauty of the human spirit. “Our family found ourselves on the receiving end of aid, and I experienced firsthand how life-changing and life-giving it can be when someone offers their time and skills to help you when you are at your lowest,” she said. “It was then I promised myself that when my family got back on track, I would live to return that favor and be that hand reaching out to someone in need.”

After graduating from SJA in 2012, Brooke studied at Clemson University. She graduated in 2016, then earned her doctorate of physical therapy from LSU Health Science Center-New Orleans in 2019. She moved to Austin, Texas, in 2020 to begin her career at an outpatient pediatric clinic. But something was missing. As an undergraduate student at Clemson, Brooke had secured grants to perform two summer internships abroad. The fulfillment she gained from those experiences continued to beckon, and in January of 2021, she moved to Cap-Haitien, Haiti, to become the disability coordinator for Hope Health Action. She works with patients in one of the only neonatal intensive care units in Haiti, in an adult inpatient rehabilitation center and in a respite care center for children with special needs.

Brooke trains local therapists and childcare workers to further their education and enhance their skills in body mechanics, positioning, transferring and feeding the children. She also visits the homes of children in the special needs center to evaluate accessibility needs, make home modifications and improve the carryover of therapy activities to the home environment. She said she has been embraced by the local community and loves using her skills to help empower those who need it most. “It’s so easy to see God at work here,” she said. “Each time I can make a modification to improve a child’s life and a parent is beaming with gratitude, I see it. Each time a child gains a new skill or does something for the first time in therapy, I can see Him in the joy on their faces. The simplest things can bring everyone here so much delight, which truly encompasses that it’s not what you have but who you surround yourself with that brings joy. Some of my happiest moments here have just been sitting with one of our children, talking and playing, while looking out at the most beautiful views of aqua blue beaches with the backdrop of the never-ending mountains.”

Brooke said she rejoices in the beauty of daily immersion in a culture defined by hard work, love of family and simplicity of lifestyle. “I absolutely love getting to learn and experience traditions, taste local foods, learn a new language and hear the stories of our friends in the community,” she said. “We live in such a giant world, and the ability to live internationally in a place completely different from your home is so eye opening, perspective changing and an amazing way to make the world seem more connected.”

While simplicity is often the way of life on an island, there are challenges inherent in living and working in a third world country. Prime amongst them is a lack of resources. “Whether it is a wheelchair for a child with special needs, paint for a bedroom, foam to modify adaptive seating or even access to something as simple as a ball for children to play with, it is so difficult to source these items, and when we do find them, they come at great expense,” Brooke said. “Almost every day I face a problem here that would take minutes to solve in the States, but that is part of what our community faces.”
 
Brooke often relies on the skills she learned as a 12-year-old displaced from her home by a hurricane. She adapts, perseveres and trusts in God’s plan for her life. She also remembers the Academy’s commitment to serving the dear neighbor as an expression of the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph. “Each year at SJA, I completed the 50-plus hours of community service because I enjoyed it so much,” she said. “There were always so many opportunities to dedicate your time to others and give back, and I enjoyed volunteering for those events because I loved getting to spend quality time with the people we were serving. Going to high school in an atmosphere that encouraged and fostered service work so much was definitely one of my first steps on this journey.”

Mindy Brodhead Averitt
Communications Director

Photos courtesy of Brooke Barisich