Dr. Dan Diamond in Haiti
Dr. Diamond, resident of Bremerton, WA, is a Medical Teams International veteran volunteer. The Haiti Earthquake disaster relief campaign is his third mission with us, with previous missions for the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts under his belt. He is currently the head of Washington State Christian Medical Response Team.
Following are excerpts from Dr. Diamond's personal blog:
Haiti: Real Life Teamwork Saving Lives
January 25, 2010 | Monday
It was awesome to see it come in and I couldn't resist being up on the roof to get some great pictures. Well, that was a big mistake. The roof used to be covered with concrete dust and gravel. Now, all of that is under my eyelids, in my ears and down my pants. But, we have our anesthesia machine! Nice! The US Army 82nd Airborne were with us and they coordinated with the helicopter to land in a nearby field while they provided security. That way the Canadians were able to retrieve their harness and hook and drop off two of the guys from Hope Force to help uncrate the machine and transport it down stairs to the OR. Great teamwork! More...
Aftershock! - Jan. 20th
January 23, 2010 | Saturday
However, now we had a new problem. We had work to be done and surgeries lined up but the patients refused to go back in the building! It occurred to me to pray so I made an announcement and had it translated to have everyone that was able, come to the front wall, lay hands on the building and pray. It was an amazing, AMAZING moment as staff and patients alike came over to the wall, put their hands on it and prayed! I was blown away. People prayed and thanked God that He spared the building and the begged God to surround the building with His angels and protect it. It was a very emotional experience. Wow! Following that, the patients gradually returned to the building. More...
7 Seconds
January 21, 2010 | Thursday
7 seconds. Count it out. 7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Imagine, your house is gone, your leg is broken and something is sticking out of it, the person sitting in the parked car across the street is killed instantly when the building next to yours completely EXPLODES and you can't find your kids. 7 seconds. Your life is forever changed. More...
The Art of Cup Showering
January 19, 2010 | Tuesday
I spent the majority of the day at our hospital today. We had several breakthroughs. Today our other team arrived in two waves. It was great to see Dr Tom Haggard again. I haven't seen him since we were working at the New Orleans Convention Center after Katrina. He is a great guy with an amazing servants heart. We also added Dr Todd Ulmar (Ortho), Dr Chris Achterman (Ped Ortho), Kathy McCoy (PT), Huston Hedinger (all around good guy) and Michael Graves (EMT and all around good guy). The second wave of folks came as I was heading out so I don't have all of their names yet. Stay tuned. More...
The Search for Answers
January 19, 2010 | Tuesday
There was one little girl that was only about 2 or 3 years old with a compound fracture (where the bone comes out through the skin) in her upper arm. It was amazing how much she was tugging at my heart. We also saw a 9-year-old with cerebral palsy that had a major arm fracture. There were many people in the yard on tables, boards, cardboard, chairs as well as on thegrass. Many people will require surgery. One guy can't feel or move his right leg. I suspect that he has a fracture on his lower back. There are so many crush injuries including hands, feet and chests. More...
Setting Up Shop
January 17, 2010 | Sunday
This evening I helped to amputate the foot of an 11 year old boy but he later died. His mother lost his sister in the quake as well. So sad...She was numb and just sat there. Non-verbally I tried to communicate with her that I cared. Our eyes locked and I knew she knew that I cared and that we did all we could. More...
In Country
January 15, 2010 | Friday
Supplies on the runway in Port au Prince prevented us from landing. We landed in the north part of the country and we are driving in. We can only go 1/2 way today because it is not safe to travel at night. Right now I'm in a 4x4 on the side of the road while the driver is out trying to buy some gas. It may be a long trip. I suspect that the capital airport will most likely be closed the rest of the day. More...
Loaded for Bear
January 15, 2010 | Friday
We flew into Ft Lauderdale last night, slept for a couple of hours and we are now back at the airport where we are waiting to board our charter flight. We had to weigh all of our supplies and our bodies and we will maximize our plane's capacity. We will fly in darkness and land in the Bahamas to refuel 1/2 way to Haiti. We are hoping to get into the airport but all is still up in the air (so to speak). More...
Packing for Haiti: An Urgent Deployment with Medical Teams International
January 14, 2010 | Thursday
Going on a trip like this is similar to being an astronaut on the space shuttle. As the rocket is beginning to rumble and lift off of the launchpad they must be aware of the fact that they are the fortunate folks that have the honor of the ride. They know full well that they didn't build the rocket. It takes an army of people to make a relief effort like this even possible. Thank you to the folks at Medical Teams International for their never ending commitment to being there when they are needed. I am blessed by your work and pray that we will be a blessing to the people of Haiti. More...