HEREABOUTS lynn minneman
Vandalia resident Dr. Stephen Guy, who specializes in obsterics and gynecology, and two of his colleagues, nurse Anessa Snapp and paramedic Roger Graham, traveled to Haiti to help earthquake victims.
They said they experienced things they will not forget.
Transportation in and out of the country was difficult because flights had to have ground transport for the supplies they brought with them.
Guy secured transportation. While doors were closing fast, he found help via Mission Flights International, a Ft. Pierce, Fla.-based Christian aviation ministry. He flew out with the group on Jan. 21.
For more than 40 years, MFI has provided air support to missionaries and church personnel in Haiti and other Caribbean nations. Since Jan. 12, the ministry has been in crisis mode, collecting donations from across the country.
Guy said Ginghamsburg United Methodist works with an orphanage in Mirebalais, just northeast of Port au Prince. The area “was quickly becoming a refugee site for the injured and homeless from Port au Prince,” said Guy in an e-mail.
He said the group wanted to get medical personnel and supplies into the area. They were in Haiti for eight days, returning Jan. 29.
Guy asked friends and family for prayers of “safety and wisdom as they traveled and served.”
He said he knew the experience would be one of not only humanitarian efforts, but humility and humbleness.
“We drove through the devastation of collapsed buildings and smell of death,” he said. “The sights of human tragedy were overwhelming.
“We drove to the orphanage in Fejda, near Mirebalais, which is in the central plateau region of Haiti. It was a refuge in a world of panic in Port au Prince.”
There were about 50 children and 40 adults at the orphanage. On the first day, the group worked at a clinic.
He said they were thankful for all the prayers and felt very safe in the area.
“All I can say is it was a whirlwind of every human emotion hitting you 24 hours a day,” Guys said “The first-hand witness of the destruction and human suffering paints a picture of the end of the world.”
But, there was hope. Guy has pictures of Haitians in makeshift hospital tents and MASH-like units praising God in song, thankful that help had come.
“Despite the tragedies, many miracles were happening daily,” he said. “And the love and compassion of people from all over the world was uplifting.”
After two days at the orphanage, they went to work at a medical clinic.
“We then moved to Port au Prince, where I worked at the University of Miami orthopedic trauma hospital as an internal medicine doctor taking care of post-op patients and doing the ob-gyn that came along,” he said.
Guy said he delivered a few babies and sent a ruptured ectopic pregnancy to the USS Comfort, the military ship hospital stationed at the port.
“We were unable to perform abdominal operations, so we transferred acute abdomens to the USS Comfort.”
As with many countries with abundant poverty, Guy said many basic needs were not being met in Haiti. He is deeply concerned.
“I saw three advanced cases of cervical cancer with no place to send for palliation or treatment,” he said. “I pray there will be continuous improvement in the coordination of services on the ground.”
For him, the trip was extremely humbling. “This was a once in a lifetime experience,” he said. “And I feel I accomplished what I was called to do. Thanks to all for the prayers and support.”
Guy said he is currently writing about his experiences in Haiti. He said it is going to be a very long process to help rebuild the country. The infrastructure — including the roads, transportation, political organization, distribution of supplies — in developing countries like Haiti is sparse in the “best of times.” And in these times, it is unthinkable.
Providing foreign aid is not unfamiliar to Guy. He serves as the medical director for the American Caribbean Experience, a mission group in Jamaica, and has volunteered with the Sudan with Ginghamsburg United Methodist.
Guy said he is a fairly private person and admitted the publicity of his volunteering is hard to discuss.
“It can’t be about me, only what we saw, and what the needs might be for the future,” he said “However, if my experience inspires others to help their fellow man, then I would feel good.”
Contact this columnist at (937) 609-4152 or newscommunity@hotmail.com.
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