Alumnus, Medical Resident Returns from Haiti
After spending a week in Haiti providing around-the-clock medical assistance, Dr. Kwabena Boakye, ’03, recently returned to his residency in the United States.
“I cried every day,” said Boakye. “I saw a four-year-old who complained of belly pain. It turned out he hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in four days.”
Boakye, who treated patients at a location just a few minutes from the Port-au-Prince airport, was part of a team sent by In His Image International, a residency program at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla.
He also saw a young mother who had gone without food or water for five days, and had no milk for her infant. “Mothers are dropping their babies off at the airport, hoping someone will find them and feed them,” said Boakye. However, he added that the trip was “very rewarding,” because he felt that he was making a difference. The team worked closely with the Salvation Army.
His team brought antibiotics, laceration kits, suturing kits, needles, syringes, and pain medications. “We focused on acute injuries and wound care,” he said. They also delivered babies and amputated toes and fingers infected by gangrene.
Boakye, a member of the All College Honors Program, was very active on campus as an undergraduate. He is in training to become a geriatrician.
Relief Efforts on Campus
Rallying around the theme “Hearts for Haiti,” representatives from United Students Government (USG), student organizations, fraternities, sororities, Campus Life, Student Life, Athletics, and International Student Affairs have mobilized to form the college’s Haiti Relief Committee.
The committee, chaired by Jean Gounard, director of International Student Affairs, has coordinated two successful fundraisers that have generated more than $2,000 in donations.
Through an indoor soccer tournament on January 30, the men’s and women’s soccer programs raised approximately $1,200 for the American Red Cross. The next day, Inter-Greek Association and the office of Student Life teamed up to raise more than $1,000 for the college’s Haiti Relief Fund.
Meanwhile, USG has been collecting funds by selling blue and red ribbons, while some student organizations helped raise awareness of the Hearts for Haiti efforts by painting the windows in the Campbell Student Union.
Additional events are planned, including two Haiti “Teach-Ins” on March 2 and 4. Events will be posted to the college calendar as details are finalized.
“I cried every day,” said Boakye. “I saw a four-year-old who complained of belly pain. It turned out he hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in four days.”
Boakye, who treated patients at a location just a few minutes from the Port-au-Prince airport, was part of a team sent by In His Image International, a residency program at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla.
He also saw a young mother who had gone without food or water for five days, and had no milk for her infant. “Mothers are dropping their babies off at the airport, hoping someone will find them and feed them,” said Boakye. However, he added that the trip was “very rewarding,” because he felt that he was making a difference. The team worked closely with the Salvation Army.
His team brought antibiotics, laceration kits, suturing kits, needles, syringes, and pain medications. “We focused on acute injuries and wound care,” he said. They also delivered babies and amputated toes and fingers infected by gangrene.
Boakye, a member of the All College Honors Program, was very active on campus as an undergraduate. He is in training to become a geriatrician.
Relief Efforts on Campus
Rallying around the theme “Hearts for Haiti,” representatives from United Students Government (USG), student organizations, fraternities, sororities, Campus Life, Student Life, Athletics, and International Student Affairs have mobilized to form the college’s Haiti Relief Committee.
The committee, chaired by Jean Gounard, director of International Student Affairs, has coordinated two successful fundraisers that have generated more than $2,000 in donations.
Through an indoor soccer tournament on January 30, the men’s and women’s soccer programs raised approximately $1,200 for the American Red Cross. The next day, Inter-Greek Association and the office of Student Life teamed up to raise more than $1,000 for the college’s Haiti Relief Fund.
Meanwhile, USG has been collecting funds by selling blue and red ribbons, while some student organizations helped raise awareness of the Hearts for Haiti efforts by painting the windows in the Campbell Student Union.
Additional events are planned, including two Haiti “Teach-Ins” on March 2 and 4. Events will be posted to the college calendar as details are finalized.
Media Contact:
Jerod Dahlgren, Public Relations Staff Writer | 7168785569 | dahlgrjt@buffalostate.edu