Haitian American family helping Haitians hit by earthquake

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — When earthy disasters strike, galore refugees travel to the United States for a amended life.

More than a 4th of Haitian immigrants successful America contiguous came aft a almighty earthquake successful 2010.

Now, cities are preparing to instrumentality successful adjacent much aft the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck successful August.

The decease toll is present supra 2,000 people. Marie Louis-Jeune knows the devastating interaction those earthquakes tin have. She fled Haiti successful 2010 and moved to Missouri aft that devastating earthquake.

She is present hoping to assistance those successful request successful her location country, and she’s hoping to assistance utilizing her champion skill.

“Cooking. It's my dream. That's what I privation to do,” said Louis-Jeune. “That's what I'm going to bash for the remainder of my life.”

It was cooking that brought her neighbors unneurotic wherever she grew up successful Haiti.

“Like everybody knows, Haiti is simply a terrible, it's a mediocre country,” she said. “Some radical ne'er had a job, ne'er had a occupation successful their life. but the bully happening astir Haitian people, we unrecorded together. If you don't person food, I cook. My vicinity tin provender you,” said Louis-Jeune.

Louis-Jeune made that conflict into success. She and her hubby opened a edifice successful Haiti successful 2007.

“Every time erstwhile radical effort my food, they accidental that's the champion happening I've ne'er had, and I don't request money. I don't request to beryllium rich. I conscionable privation radical to admit my value,” said Louis-Jeune.

Less than 3 years later, her edifice was astir destroyed. The historical 2010 earthquake crumbled her satellite to dust.

“Everybody similar tried to run,” recalled Louis-Jeune of the 2010 earthquake. “You can't adjacent run, you effort to tally and you conscionable fell close down, and that's the mode it was. If you ne'er acquisition it, don't privation it….it's not casual to consciousness it."

After the earthquake, her household near everything they’d ever known and moved to Missouri arsenic refugees.

“It wasn't my program to leave. Life conscionable changed forever,” said Louis-Jeune.

Her son, Stein, was conscionable 5-years-old.

“It was me, my mom, and we were conscionable sleeping successful the airport,” helium remembered of the determination to America.

They were thankful for a 2nd chance, but rebuilding a beingness successful America wasn’t easy.

“When you accidental you determination to America, you cognize America, it's similar everybody thinks it's paradise. But erstwhile you determination to it, it was hard erstwhile you near household behind,” said Louis-Jeune.

Louis-Jeune has worked successful the United States for astir a decennary to get backmost what she had successful Haiti. She opened her ain restaurant, My Marie, close earlier the pandemic hit. After her expansive opening, they were forced to adjacent for months due to the fact that of COVID-19.

“It’s hard. It's truly hard,” said Louis-Jeune. “Sometimes erstwhile we unfastened here, we don't person a batch of customers. Sometimes, I effort to springiness up, I effort to adjacent my door, but I pray. I say, ‘God, I person family. I person friends to instrumentality attraction of. Please springiness maine spot to aftermath up each time to open.’ It's not easy."

But, she has a caller crushed to support opening her doors. On August 14, different earthquake deed Haiti affecting the household and friends she near behind.

So, she and her household are keeping her edifice unfastened 7 days a week now, donating a portion of each repast to non-profit sending supplies to Haiti.

“Anything I have, I’m going to springiness it to them,” said Louis-Jeune.

“If it was you, you'd privation idiosyncratic to assistance you,” said her son, Stein.

This household wants to enactment the thousands who mislaid everything and springiness anticipation to those trying to find refuge successful America.

“I consciousness lucky. I consciousness blessed, and I can't ideate what they're going done close now. I cognize it's not going to beryllium casual to travel here. It's not going to beryllium easy,” said Louis-Jeune.

Louis-Jeune is grateful the conflict she endured 11 years agone is present giving her a accidental to help.

If you’d similar to assistance Marie’s fundraiser, click HERE.