This week, the Rotary Club of Dixie Sunrise had the opportunity to hear of the work of a small group of St. George medical practitioners who made their way to Haiti to serve the injured. Our speaker, Colby Petersen, PA with The Heart of Dixie, spoke of traveling with Dr. David Grygla, Dr. Ed Prince, and Trevor Schmidt, PA to Haiti to treat, operate, and offer medical care in any form they could to victims of the Haiti disaster. The group made a spur of the moment decision to accept the offer of local philanthropist Jeremy Johnson to fly them to Haiti.
The group arrived on day 12 of the disaster and stayed through day 19. The photos of the injuries and the devastation of the country were sobering. Colby showed us photos we did not see on the evening news. He spoke of the countless persons buried under the rubble, the lack of electricity – which cannot be restored without pretty much starting all over again – the homeless and orphaned children
and the great need for medical care. The group took 5, 000 lbs of supplies which they purchased, begged, and haggled in Florida. They used common household tools since they were unable to obtain hospital grade ones. They used hack saws, a Black and Decker drill and a Leatherman to operate on fractured and severed limbs. Antibiotics were scare and anesthesia close to non-existent.
However, the underlying message was the resilience of the people. Colby reported there was not a time they did not feel safe. He spoke of warm friendly people, laughing children, and a country where people sing day and night.
As Tyler Todd, who arranged this program, pointed out, the media has moved on to newer “news” but the needs of those in Haiti are far from met. Colby, thank you for sharing.
Reminders: Ironman service project May 1st. We need your help and the help of your families and neighbors. District Conference HERE IN ST. GEORGE May 13-15. Do plan to attend.
Until next week…..
Marla
The group arrived on day 12 of the disaster and stayed through day 19. The photos of the injuries and the devastation of the country were sobering. Colby showed us photos we did not see on the evening news. He spoke of the countless persons buried under the rubble, the lack of electricity – which cannot be restored without pretty much starting all over again – the homeless and orphaned children
and the great need for medical care. The group took 5, 000 lbs of supplies which they purchased, begged, and haggled in Florida. They used common household tools since they were unable to obtain hospital grade ones. They used hack saws, a Black and Decker drill and a Leatherman to operate on fractured and severed limbs. Antibiotics were scare and anesthesia close to non-existent.However, the underlying message was the resilience of the people. Colby reported there was not a time they did not feel safe. He spoke of warm friendly people, laughing children, and a country where people sing day and night.
As Tyler Todd, who arranged this program, pointed out, the media has moved on to newer “news” but the needs of those in Haiti are far from met. Colby, thank you for sharing.
Reminders: Ironman service project May 1st. We need your help and the help of your families and neighbors. District Conference HERE IN ST. GEORGE May 13-15. Do plan to attend.
Until next week…..
Marla
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