Pakistan. Oct. 8, 2005. A normal day turned into chaos when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck. In a matter of moments, walls toppled, buildings caved in and cities became little more than gravel. In the aftermath, the only sounds were the screams and sobs from the injured and dying.
Thousands of miles away, Dr. Haroon Choudhri heard that call. “There was no question in my mind that I needed to do something, not just talk to people, not just send money. I had to be there. I had to help,” said Dr. Choudhri, section chief of adult neurosurgery at MCG Health System.
In the days following the quake, Dr. Choudhri opened dozens of e-mails from colleagues in that part of the world, begging for his help and experience. Many of the e-mails included photos of patients whose bodies had been crushed by the falling buildings and other debris. Countless patients were children, trapped in their schools when the earthquake happened. “It’s impossible to describe the feelings that go through you when you’re a father yourself and you see images like this,” said Dr. Choudhri.
Dr.
Choudhri immediately made plans for an extensive medical mission to Pakistan
that would include physicians, support staff and the equipment and tools the
area so desperately needed. His timeline: To be in Pakistan by January 2006.
But the need was overwhelming. The e-mails continued, becoming even more urgent and pleading. “Please, just come. Come now. Bring your bare hands, but just come.”
With little more than a week to prepare, Dr. Choudhri scrambled to develop a plan to meet the immediate demands of the devastated region. His first actions involved helping to guide the massive medical care that would have to be provided, directing physicians there to turn major cities into triage centers. He sent funds ahead of him to help support rescue and recovery efforts.
Dr. Choudhri’s father, also a neurosurgeon, happened to be in Lahore, Pakistan, on the day of the quake. Uninjured, he decided to remain in Lahore to help his son schedule patients and surgeries for his visit. Dr. Choudhri soon recruited his brother, Dr. Asim Choudhri, a radiology resident from Virginia; Dr. Lance Perling, a neurosurgery spine fellow at MCG; and Bill Loftus of the Stryker Corp. Both MCG and Stryker, a maker of surgical instruments and supplies, generously donated equipment and supplies to the cause. Dr. Choudhri paid the lodging and travel expenses of all members of his team.
The team left Augusta Oct. 21 for their 10-day mission, traveling first to Lahore, then to Abbottabad, a city near the epicenter of the quake. Lahore, a city of about 10 million, was receiving a flood of victims from overwhelmed hospitals close to the epicenter. The most complex cases, those beyond the expertise of local surgeons, were waiting.
“We were prepared to do as many surgeries as we could, but the surgeons there said, ‘No. Let us do those. We know how to do those. Help us with those that we don’t know how to do. Teach us so that we can help more people when you are gone,’” explained Dr. Choudhri. “We were just a small team and the surgeries we could have performed would only have helped a few people. By teaching them how to do these procedures, we were able to help many, many more.”
One of these complex cases involved a mother who was injured while trying to save her infant when their home collapsed. Her fractured vertebrae caused pain and paralysis. “I needed a particular implant called a vertical distraction cage, which is a piece of metal that bears the weight of the damaged spinal column. Unfortunately, it was not something we had brought with us,” said Dr. Choudhri. “The surgeons there said, ‘Go ahead with the surgery; we will get you what you need.’ It was amazing, but they brought me an implant that they had made, and it worked perfectly.
I
was able to enter through the flank, place the implant and fill it with bone
fragments. I have since learned that this patient is doing very well and is
expected to walk again.”
Other surgeries focused on previously treated victims. “One patient was a man who had anterior surgery to his cervical spine. Unfortunately, the available instrumentation was of poor quality and resulted in further damage to his spinal cord. I revised this by removing the screws that had been placed into the spinal cord and reconstructing the spine with a new plate and screws. I recently heard by e-mail that he is regaining strength in his arms and legs as well as increased sensation. There is a chance for significant recovery.”
The complex cases were made even more difficult by the bare-bones condition of the hospitals. “It was very different from a place like MCG where you have support staff ready, and all the most advanced equipment and tools for any contingency,” said Dr. Choudhri. “The supplies we brought were wonderful, but the needs of the region were so much greater.”
At press time, Dr. Choudhri and his team were set to return to Lahore and other devastated areas. While many of the earthquake victims have received care, many still remain, and the need continues for more education on surgery skills. “We plan to help however we can, wherever they need us,” said Dr. Choudhri.
His thoughts return again and again to the people he met there. Looking back through hundreds of photos, he points to a little girl who lost her foot when her school collapsed, yet who couldn’t stop smiling. Despite the devastation of the region and overwhelming physical and emotional pain, the beauty and grace of the area and the people were still evident.
“I’ve been very blessed in my life,” said Dr. Choudhri, glancing at the photo of his baby daughter on his desk. “This was just something I really wanted to do.”
Danielle Wong Moores