“The video and pictures can’t capture the smells, or grasp the decadence of the smoke and burning bodies.”
David Vanderpool, senior Biblical studies major from Brentwood, Tenn., returned from Port-au-Prince on Wednesday after providing emergency medical attention to Haitian earthquake victims for almost a week. Vanderpool reset fractured bones, scrubbed gangrene out of open wounds, and performed amputations without anesthesia. After six days, the last thing he wanted was a break.
“I came back because if I miss any more class, I won’t graduate, and I want to graduate so I can do this full-time,” he said.
Other students, unable to travel, were left feeling anxious and helpless. Jessica White, senior psychology major from Knox City, traveled to Haiti for humanitarian work in 2006 and has tried unsuccessfully to contact a friend in Cap-Haitien since the quake.
“I check my email everyday,” White said. “l feel very helpless; it just makes me sick to my stomach.”
Mike Cope, adjunct instructor of Bible, missions and ministry, led an impromptu discussion about the disaster in his Acts-Revelation class. On their way out, students had the opportunity to donate to relief efforts, and the class raised more than $750.
