HILLSBORO -- Early Friday evening a small, private jet touched down at the Hillsboro Airport with volunteers who had spent one week in Haiti.
"We were torn to leave because it's ongoing," said Dr. Todd Ulmer.
The orthopedic surgeon and a handful of others from Medical Teams International arrived on the island nation last Monday.
"The airport had no security whatsoever," added physical therapist Kathi McCoy. "There wasn't a single person who asked us who we were, there was nothing, we just walked in."
The team walked straight to the hospital and they got right to work.
"Buildings collapsed so a lot of broken bones and crushed arms, legs, a lot of wounds, infections, broken bones," added Ulmer.
But not once did the Haitians show any sign of anger or hostility. "Out of all the horrible things we saw I didn't hear a patient say anything but thank you," said McCoy. "I never heard them demand pain medication."
Medical Teams International brought with them medicine valued at more than $1 million. It is expected to treat 45,000 people for three months.
"We got 2,500 pounds of medicine," said pilot Mike Cranor.
Cranor and his co-pilot flew four round trips between Fort Lauderdale and Port Au Prince.
Perhaps the most memorable flight came when the team flew a woman suffering from a crushed leg to a hospital in the United States.
"I don't know if they were able to save a leg, but at least her life," he Cranor.
