Testimonials

Doctor's Emergency Medical Evacuation Begins in a Wheelbarrow

Dr. Gleason went to El Salvador to care for victims of the January earthquake. He was in a remote community surrounded by mangrove swamps when the medical team ran out of water. Dr. Gleason suffered a heat stroke, which triggered heart problems.

"You have to understand that most of the people we were treating are small and dark skinned. I'm a tall, 260-pound white guy and I was like a monster on this island," he says with surprising good humor, considering his ordeal. "About mid afternoon we ran out of water, and I was the first to feel the effects, probably because of my size. The staff put an IV in me, and I just kept on seeing patients. I guess I got cocky and began moving around too much because I started having chest pains."

Not a good sign for a man who had already undergone an emergency quintuple bypass in 1996. His colleagues knew they had to get him out of the jungle, but there were only two things with wheels on the island. And that's how this distinguished doctor -- Commissioner of Health for the State of Iowa and former medical advisor to the President of the United States -- ended up in a wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow led to a boat, which led to a Land Rover, which led to a hospital, which led to MedjetAssist.

"While I was in the hospital, they had an earthquake," he recalls. "Stuff started falling off the walls, and there was dust everywhere. I thought -- I sure hope MedjetAssist gets here quick."

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