Since I had just returned from Haiti, I couldn’t go back right away. I calculated that the special need for plastic surgeons would come once the most high-urgency wounds were dealt with. I began to arrange my return for late February. The first step was to get in touch with others who had volunteered from the Washington, DC area, so we could get a group together. The response was immediate and overwhelming. Andrew Umhau MD was priceless. He couldn’t go, but asked how he could help and went on to find half of 21 volunteers with whom I eventually flew down. There were pediatric anesthesiologists, a pediatric nurse from Georgetown Hospital, there were nurses and PAs from Sibley Memorial Hospital, a PICU nurse from Johns Hopkins, many others.
In the end, 21 people went down on February 25 and stayed until March 2.
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