Harrison in Haiti to airlift medical team

[kris]

info on the blog : http://www.operationsmile.org/haiti/

[Shauni]

It did not surprise me that Harrison is doing relief work in Haiti.

[MHA]

Here's some pics.

[MyManIndy]

Trade the baseball cap for a fedora and that would be Indy sitting there in the third picture in the doorway to the plane.

Bravo to Harrison and the others who can and are helping out in this tragic event. It is nice to hear that he and others like John Travolta are able and willing to use their flying abilities to help.

[Loon Lake]

Originally Posted by MyManIndy

Trade the baseball cap for a fedora and that would be Indy sitting there in the third picture in the doorway to the plane.

Bravo to Harrison and the others who can and are helping out in this tragic event. It is nice to hear that he and others like John Travolta are able and willing to use their flying abilities to help.

Agreed. This flight seems to have 'flown under the radar' of entertainment shows which is typical of most HF charity work.

[fatima]

Bravo Harrison for your generosity and friendly gesture!! is most apreciated.

[MyManIndy]

Originally Posted by Loon Lake

Agreed. This flight seems to have 'flown under the radar' of entertainment shows which is typical of most HF charity work.

It certainly has missed the mention on the entertainment shows but I'm sure Harrison and others would rather it be that way and be able to help where they can without taking away from the efforts of all the other people how have been able to come and help and do this kind of work day in and out. It is nice to know there are such wonderful people out there who travel into a disaster to help reguardless of where, when and what happened. People need help no matter what the politics of it all is.

I'm glad to know Harrison does this kind of work.

[Loon Lake]

Sounds like a difficult journey for a horrendous task.

"Actor and Humanitarian Harrison Ford Assists Operation Smile’s Relief Efforts in Haiti
Provides Critical Support in Transporting Medical Volunteers and Supplies to Surgical Site in Hinche

Norfolk, VA 2/10/2010 08:39 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)



Operation Smile supporter, legendary actor and humanitarian Harrison Ford piloted his Cessna 208 Caravan to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Saturday, February 6 to command a remarkable airlift of Operation Smile medical volunteers and supplies into Hinche, Haiti to provide much needed treatment for earthquake victims. Mr. Ford decided to volunteer his time, piloting skills and aircraft in response to an urgent request from Operation Smile, Inc. for logistical support after the organization announced that it was sending three additional medical teams and over 2 ½ tons of medical supplies across three locations in Haiti.

After battling three days of adverse weather conditions between Los Angeles and Miami during last week’s winter storm, Mr. Ford made several trips over a two-day period to a remote dirt landing strip in Haiti and delivered a team of 20 volunteers that included plastic surgeons, an orthopedic surgeon, anesthesiologists, and eight nurses along with critical medical supplies. Given the logistical challenges and difficult travel routes from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, Mr. Ford’s efforts significantly sped the process of getting the medical team and supplies to Hinche so care could be given most expeditiously to children and adults who have been waiting for weeks to receive treatment.

Mr. Ford wanted to provide support after seeing the devastating impact of the earthquake, and noted, “This is not about me, it is just about doing what I can to help Operation Smile and the people of Haiti.”

After he safely delivered the balance of volunteers and supplies, Mr. Ford was able to visit with both pediatric and adult victims of the earthquake at the hospital in Hinche, all with devastating injuries requiring urgent surgical treatment. Most had been buried in the rubble of collapsed buildings, subsequently rescued and brought by family members to this remote area because of no alternative locations for care. Upon arrival, the Operation Smile medical team rapidly triaged patients according to the severity of their injuries and additional patients were directed to physical therapy volunteers to begin the process of rehabilitation.

Operation Smile team leader and plastic surgeon, Dr. Craig Merrell, noted, "We are truly thankful that we were able to get here as expeditiously as possible, in order to begin treatment of patients who are suffering from infections, open wounds, and untreated fractures from the recent earthquake.”

[MyManIndy]

I was just looking at the Operation Smile web site and it appears Harrison is still there lending a helping hand. Below is a blog from Operation Smile entered today, Feb 14, 2010:

:We are becoming very attached to some of our young patients and it is heart wrenching to watch them sitting in bed for a month now. Our favorite little boy Jonel left with his grandmother today with his fractured femur. He lost his mom and dad in the earthquake and we don't know how she will be able to raise him.
He laughed heartily when I showed him to Harrison Ford and Harrison just tickled him and showed such compassion to all of the patients. Harrison Ford is a true hero for helping Operation Smile and did not want any press"

[suebabe888]

I wonder how long Harrison is planning to stay in Haiti volunteering and helping out with Operation Smile. He has been there since February 6th. I think it is great that he is helping to send medical supplies and assisting with the sick patients. It shows that he is a caring, compassionate brave and thoughtful. I heard he is supposed to be attending a few award ceremonies or a charity event in the next few weeks so he should be back in the United States soon. I hear he is still in Haitii as of Valentine's day. By the way, it appears that Calista did not go with him or maybe she did but there has been no mention. I would not think she did because Liam is in school now; I guess he could have stayed with the baby sitter if need be. However, I know that Brothers and Sisters has been on a short hiatus from Feb 9-21 so I guess if she wanted to she could have gone with him but it does not appear that way. Hopefully she was able to go visit him over the weekend with Liam or something. It would be nice if she was there today. By the way does anyone know what the time difference between Haiti and Los Angeles is? I am not sure if it is still Sunday or Monday there. I would hate to think that she had to spend her Valentine's Day alone without Harrison or that Liam would not be able to see his dad either. Although I am sure they did and I do not think Liam would have school Monday since it is President's Day.

I thought it was generous of Harrison to airlift the doctors to the hospital so they could perform the reconstructive surgery on the patients. I though the picture of Harrison tickling that one little Haitian boy in the hospital bed there was adorable. It was the one where they showed Harrison smiling and the boy laughing. Well, EM was at least in the top ten for a few weeks according to imdb box office. They are still showing EM movie where i live. I guess it did not do as well as they expected opening weekend. Anyhow, I hear there are many people who saw the movie and liked it. I think Morning Glory is coming out in the summer and it looks like it might be a comedy. Hopefully it will be a good film. I think Harrison is adept at playing both dramatic and funny parts. I have found him funny in some of his movie performances.

[Shauni]

Harrison friend and co-pilot Terry Bender went with him to Haiti.

[Ravenwood]

You go Harrison.