27024: Hermantin(News)One calamity follows another, then another for Haitian man (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Sun-Sentinel

One calamity follows another, then another for Haitian man



By Liza Hearon
Staff Writer

December 27, 2005



It took one soccer match to change Jeff and Annette Magloire's lives forever.

In April 2004, soccer fan Jeff Magloire, 36, traveled to the United States to 
see his native Haiti play the Turks and Caicos Islands and to stay with his 
cousin. He needed a vacation from his job as an official of the Autorité 
Aéroportuaire Nationale, the Haitian government airport authority.

"I was watching CNN, and I saw all the problems in Haiti. I saw them setting 
fire to the buildings, and then I saw my family's house on fire on the 
television. Right away, my head started to hurt. It was so painful, and I 
started to see black," said Jeff Magloire.

His cousin, Beagan Antoine, called 911, and he was taken to Broward General 
Medical Center as he lost consciousness. The doctors said that Magloire was 
having a stroke.

Antoine notified Annette Magloire, 38, immediately, and she arrived at the 
hospital five days later. She stayed there for a month, sleeping by her 
husband's side, though he didn't know she was there for the first 22 days. When 
he came to, he found that he had lost his sight, most of his hearing, and the 
use of his legs. He also learned for the first time that he was HIV-positive, 
and his wife also tested positive.

"We were in a dark place," Annette Magloire said.

They speak French and very little English. They had nowhere to turn.

The hospital referred their case to various nonprofit groups, until it got to 
Marie Nelson of Minority Development and Empowerment Inc. She embraced the 
Magloires and never let them go.

The group provides assistance to Caribbean-Americans and other minorities in 
navigating the complex maze of bureaucracy in Broward and Palm Beach counties, 
where language and cultural barriers often make their transition to 
self-sufficiency difficult.

"I saw them every single day at first. Now I don't need to see them as much, 
but I still talk to them every day," said Nelson. Throughout the ordeal, she 
has been on call 24 hours a day, constantly checking on the Magloires, making 
sure their needs are met and easing their transition -- one because of tragic 
circumstances -- to the English-speaking community.

"Marie is a gift from God," said Jeff Magloire.

"When we found Marie, it was the world," said Annette Magloire.

The group's Ryan White Title One and Two and Minority Aid Initiative Programs 
are designed to assist clients with medical expenses. The Magloires do not have 
medical insurance, and Nelson used the program to obtain a wheelchair and 
hospital bed upon Jeff Magloire's release from the hospital. They have been 
staying at Jeff's cousin's house in Hallandale Beach since the stroke.

Minority Development and Empowerment is also helping them file for U.S. 
political asylum. "We can't return to Haiti because of Jeff's status. They 
burned the house because they thought he was in it," said Annette Magloire.

She was the director of a preschool in their hometown of Cap Haitien, but now 
she is working as a security officer as the Las Olas Riverhouse in Fort 
Lauderdale. Jeff Magloire, who is unable to work, listens to soccer on the 
radio and television. They attend St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Miramar 
every Sunday.

The Magloires need to move out of the cousin's house and Minority Development 
and Empowerment is working on enrolling them in a housing program. But the 
family's income is not enough to pay rent and also support Annette Magloire's 
daughter, Mandy, 18, a student in Haiti. The Magloires each take multiple 
medications, on top of Jeff Magloire's expensive therapy.

On Annette Magloire's days off, she spends time walking with her husband, 
working on regaining his balance. His frustration is apparent as he reaches out 
his arms to try and walk on his own. But Annette Magloire is always ready to 
steady him, to describe everything he can't see, holding his hand, right by his 
side, like she was in the hospital.

"Jeff couldn't even walk at first, but now he can walk with a cane. He can see 
some things now; he's come far. He is a miracle child," Annette Magloire said.

The despair of their situation is forgotten when they talk about how they met 
and their marriage. Annette Magloire lights up as she pulls wedding pictures 
out of her purse, meticulously kept in an envelope with no rips or bends.

"They had a beautiful life in Haiti," said Nelson.

The Magloires have been together for more than 10 years; they were married in 
2003.

"Every year I had a cooking party at my home for Christmas, and she was one of 
the guests. I asked her to dance, and that was it," Jeff Magloire said proudly.

Annette Magloire still smiles like a teenager on the verge of giggles when she 
talks about him.

"He made my heart beat," she said, shyly looking down.

Liza Hearon can be reached at lhearon@sun-sentinel.com.


Copyright © 2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel