Wow, an aftershock of 6.1 this morning in Haiti? That’s considered a major earthquake to most of us used to those Richter numbers. And I was reading that, even before the aftershock, infection and amputations had become the focus. Amputations? Good Lord. And so many. … And for so many children. It all just breaks my heart.

One of my Lifescript friends on Twitter, Dr. Beckerman, forwarded this article about a residency colleague of his, Dr. Louise Ivers, who happened to be in Port-Au-Prince at the time of the earthquake. It details her experiences of both the earthquake and the aftermath — a really fascinating read.

Meanwhile, my colleague Laura was telling me about a U.S. friend of hers who was in the middle of adopting a little girl from Haiti. The paperwork was just stretching out forever and ever … and then the quake hit. She said her friend could hardly get word whether the orphanage was toppled or not. The latest she heard was that the 82nd Airborne was going in to try to secure the orphanage. Schools, hospitals, orphanages. … So many to worry about.

I wrote an article last Friday for Lifescript about how to help in Haiti — which charities are safe to choose, and how the text-donating thing works. My focus there was really just to help well-meaning readers who want to help but aren’t sure how. It’s all just overwhelming.