Contrasting, if only for a few moments, the heartbreaking news pouring out of Haiti for the past week, the territory received joyful news Tuesday evening with the return from Haiti of 13-month-old Shelby Lamarre Maignan to his mother and father’s waiting arms.
A few moments maybe, but the answer to a lifetime’s worth of prayers from Shelby’s parents, Florence Fontus and Lamarre Maignan, and their Montessori family.
The infant returned on a Falcon 2000 jet owned (and donated for the flight) by local businessman Donald Sussman, along with returning members of the V.I. Haitian Medical and Children’s Relief Trip, organized by local resident Carmen Partridge.
The odyssey started when Fontus took her American-born infant to Haiti on Dec. 21 to meet his grandmother, Gladys Legerme, and other relatives.
"Mommy had never seen him," Fontus said Wednesday morning at the Montessori School & International Academy, where she has worked for the last three years as a teaching assistant.
Never taking her eyes off Shelby, as she sat beside her husband, Fontus said, "My sister asked me to leave him there with the family so he could get to know them and so he could play with Joly Dotal, her daughter, who’s just one month younger than Shelby."
Fontus finally decided to do that, and returned to St. Thomas on Jan. 7, planning to bring Shelby back at the next school break.
Five days later, the earthquake hit. It took two days before Fontus learned Shelby and her family were alive, but with no house, no food, and no water.
Upon that news, Fontus’ Montessori colleagues went into action. Diana Wood, head of the school’s La Casa toddler program where Fontus teaches, and school business director Peggy Hunt went to the U.S. State Department website and began a back-and-forth with the U.S. agency on the logistics of getting a U.S.-born infant out of Haiti, submitting copies of his passport, and his mother’s documentation.
The women knew of the Haiti relief effort under way by Partridge, also a Montessori parent. They arranged with her for Shelby’s passport to be delivered to the baby’s relatives with Dr. Adam Shapiro on a Monday flight. Shapiro was flying to Port-au-Prince to pick up some members of the relief effort, who had left on Saturday.
So far, so good. The flight on Sussman’s aircraft left on Tuesday to deliver a second medical team to Port-au-Prince, and to bring the infant back. But, no one knew if the necessary ground communications had been successful to get Shelby to the airport.
Fontus said Wednesday, that upon having Shelby safely in her and Maignan’s arms Tuesday evening, she called her Montessori helpers. "I couldn’t have done anything without them," she said.
Unaffected by his star status, Shelby cooed and played with his parents Wednesday, oblivious to the drama which has surrounded him for the past week.
Fontus and Maignan took Shelby to meet some of the La Casa and lower-school students Wednesday morning. "We took him to Circle Time," said Hunt, "so the children could have some contact with the reality of what’s happened in Haiti. They asked him what it was like there," she said with a smile. "They also asked what they could do to help. We have started a drive for relief items, listing what is needed. It’s on the school website."
Though Fontus is grateful for Shelby’s return, she is still very worried about her family. "They don’t have anything right now," she said. "It’s raining, and they are living in the road."
One of the Partridge relief team said food and supplies are due to be delivered to the family this week.
