He thought the world was coming to an end.

That’s how the Haitian man who runs the Notre Dame Haiti Project describes his experiences during the earthquake.

"I heard something boom!" explains Jean Marc Brissau. "All of a sudden I was bouncing up and down, up and down."

Brissau was driving a car in Port-au-Prince when the ground shook beneath him. He had just left the Hotel Montana 15 minutes before, which crumbled and crushed most people inside.

"I called my wife and said, 'How are you doing?' And she said, 'Oh my God. We're terrified!' 'Where are the kids?' I said, 'Where are the kids?' And said, 'Oh, they're here with me.' I said, 'Ahh!’"

After worrying about his own family, Brissau’s next instinct was to get home to the Notre Dame facility. Since debris and bodies blocked the road, Brissau couldn’t drive. He had to walk four hours to his town. But that didn’t seem to matter.

"The only important thing is that I'm alive and my kids are alive, my wife is alive."

Brissau did lose several cousins, including an 8-year-old girl who was at school. He says despite all the pain and the loss he’s gained hope and insight.

"What I've learned is that Haitian people--they are very strong and they are very resilient,” Brissau shares. "People with heart, open heart, really caring for others. I've seen that in Haiti mostly during this time. Haitians will carry people--they don't even know that person--and they'll carry them to get help."

Brissau runs the Notre Dame Haiti Project, which is a research facility for a disease common in tropical environments called filariasis. Brissau says 45% of people in his town Leogane, which is 20 miles from Port-au-Prince, suffer from the disease. He also says 1.4 billion people in the world are at risk. Filariasis is spread through mosquitoes and causes victims’ legs and other body parts to significantly swell.

On a recent trip to Haiti, Notre Dame’s Father John Jenkins blessed people with the illness at Notre Dame’s Research Center for Filariasis. That building is actually one of the only standing buildings in Leogane. Brissau says years ago he debated with Notre Dame officials for wanting to spend thousands of dollars on earthquake reinforcements for the building. Today, Brissau admits he was wrong.

Brissau visits Notre Dame for a staff retreat. Years ago, he got a degree in International Human Rights Law at Notre Dame Law School. He asks the people of Michiana to continue their support—both financially and spiritually.

"They need a lot of prayers to keep on fighting with this life."