If you read my last blog post you'll know that I arrived in Peru on Wednesday afternoon accompanied by my old friend Chris Mulryne. We are scheduled to be here for a week helping the Divisional Commander put plans together for the relief response to the earthquake which has almost wiped out the town of Pisco.
One thing I've learned in my decade of Emergency services ministry is that life is full of surprises. This trip has been no exception!
After arriving we discovered that the Army has a pretty low profile in Peru, largely because the Catholic church is so dominant. The Army's work for the earthquake had been noticed by the media and the arrival of the Army's International Emergency Coordinator had given them an opportunity to try and score a little more media time. So, for the first time ever, I found myself on the first morning of my assessment visit in the make up room of Peruvian national TV, having my face 'made up' in readiness for an interview slot on their morning show. It was fascinating to see how things in the studio ran - and it helped that the interviewer and presenter was absolutely stunning (don't tell Lyn I noticed!).
After the trip we headed off by car to Pisco - after removing the make up of course so we didn't give the impression that IHQ emergency guys turn up in the field looking like a couple of Nancy's.
When we arrived in Pisco Chris told me he had felt a bit unwell during the journey, but that it was probably indigestion. Next morning we started out tour of the Army's relief camps. Chris was still feeling uncomfortable and I suggested he found a way to get a check up. It tuned out that a small group of American physicians working with Relief International are partnering with TSA and providing clinic facilities for those injured in the quake. One of them offered to check Chris out while I carried on with the assessment.
It came as a great shock when I received a call later to say that the Doc had decided to give Chris an ECG and had discovered an abnormality - which meant Chris had likely had a heart attack!
I dashed back to base to find that Chris had been admitted to the local Field hospital awaiting transfer to the military airfield where he was to be airlifted back to hospital in Lima. So less than 24 hours after arriving in Pisco I was at the military airfield boarding a Hercules C130 cargo plane, with Chris laying on a stretcher.
A few hours later Chris was in the Intensive Care Unit of the clinic in Lima, the blood and ECG tests confirming he had indeed had a mild to moderate heart attack. As I write this he's waiting for a transfer to another specialist clinic in Lima, hoping that a few days to stabilise him will allow him to be medically repatriated home again.
I know I told him that the trip would prove valuable experience for him - little did I know what was in store! When I get time I'll tell you about the fantastic physician from Relief International who has not left our side since he first checked Chris over. But for now I'll leave you with the photo of Chris being loaded into the only vehicle we had which could serve as an ambulance - the emergency services canteen!
Spare a moment to pray for Chris and his wife Gaynor, can you? I know they were value your thoughts at this time.
No comments:
Post a Comment