Dr. Marie Gdalevitch is a Canadian orthopedic surgeon in Baltimore for fellowship training in Limb Reconstruction surgery at Sinai Hospital. A few months ago, she accompanied John's partner Dr. Shawn Standard on an orthopedic mission to the other half of Hispaniola - the Dominican Republic. That trip had been planned well before the January 12 earthquake, and so unexpectedly, Marie and Shawn found themselves in the midst of a disaster relief mission. In addition to being a highly skilled surgeon, Marie is also a pretty decent hockey player, and a die-hard Montreal Canadienes fan. She is finishing her fellowship in Baltimore next month, and headed to Australia for yet more training in her chosen sub-specialty of pediatric orthopedics. In her own words....
"I am Canadian, born and raised in bilingual Montreal where there is a large and vibrant Haitian community. After hearing news of the earthquake, I felt helpless at the tragedy that was unfolding on televisions worldwide. Only to realize that I was heading to Dominican Republic on a pre-earthquake organized medical mission trip. Two weeks after the earthquake, I found myself in San Juan, DR working at one of the bordering hospitals, treating Haitian refugees. My experience was short and the help our small team provided was a drop of water in an ocean of need. I felt I had left prematurely and with much unfinished work. I often wonder what happened to my patients? Did they survive? Did they walk? Did they return to Haiti and if so what were their living conditions? The prospect of being able to return, with a bigger team, and the hope of doing more, is extremely invigorating. I approach this upcoming trip with much anticipation, but also with heightened awareness. No matter how much we contribute, I will likely remain humbled and wondering upon my return."
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