by Brooke Bunch

It started out a peaceful morning on an exotic island off southern Thailand for neurologist Elizabeth North, D.O. (’98).

North, 34, was headed back to her beachside bungalow to pack after an early dip in the resort pool on the island of Ko Phi Phi. With her was traveling companion Ben Abels, a friend from college, who was gearing up to leave the island on a flight to Bangkok. North was preparing to switch bungalows.

In a watery crash, their plans were shattered like everything else in the path of the devastating series of waves that hit the island.

North survived the Indian Ocean tsunamis that swept across south and southeast Asia Dec. 26, which so far have resulted in a death toll of nearly 150,000 people. Sustaining severe injuries to the right hand and lower right leg, North is recovering in a Bangkok hospital, awaiting her departure back to her Portland, Ore., home. Infections to her injuries keep North overseas. Despite severe injuries and a missing companion, North remains in high spirits, inspired by the outpouring of generosity of those who provided help in her time of desperation.

North endured disaster and lived to tell about it.

“It was around 10:40 a.m. on Ko Phi Phi Island, and I was walking back to our bungalow, which was right on the beach,” North recalled from a hospital bed in Bangkok.

“I was actually going back to pack. I was with a friend of mine that I’ve known since college, Ben Abels." Both are Miami University graduates.

“We were only in the bungalow for maybe a few minutes when I heard a roaring sound, a low rumble. Then I noticed water started to rush by, and the next instant, a wave leveled the bungalow. I was being crushed and swept away.

“I was submerged under water and was drowning. At the same time I was also being crushed by heavy and sharp debris. It was really terrifying. I thought I was going to be killed, but at the last possible instant the wave receded and I was able to take a breath. That’s when I realized I was pinned under a pile of heavy debris.

“I saw my right wrist was severely severed and was losing a lot of blood. Fortunately my left hand was free, and I was able to hold on to my right wrist and apply pressure.”

North remained this way with a makeshift tourniquet for nearly an hour, when three local Thai men came to her rescue.

“During that time period I wasn’t sure if I was going to survive,” she says. “I had lost a lot of blood, and I was feeling pretty close to losing consciousness. Finally I heard some voices near me, and I began to scream to get their attention. I had a tree branch with my left hand I was poking through the rubble.”

The men noticed North and immediately began to free her from the mass of debris which lay atop her.

“They carried me to the pool building, the only building left standing where I was staying,” says North. “They took me to the second floor and laid me down on a lounge chair, where I lay for another hour until eventually helicopters came to Ko Phi Phi. I was carried down to the beach and hoisted into the air into a helicopter.”

North was flown to Phuket, the closest hospital, where she located an English-speaking surgeon, and with his help was able to find a plastic surgeon who was able to operate on her hand.

“I was fortunate,” North says. “The hospital was overwhelmed; it was a disaster. I wasn’t receiving optimal care there so my family was able to have me air ambulanced to Bangkok, which is where I’m now recovering.”

Abels remains missing. North says his family in Chicago hired a private investigator to search for him.

North remains in Bangkok, ready to start the slow process of recovery which will take her back to the United States. North had recently had accepted a position in Oregon that was scheduled to begin Jan. 3. She expects to be back at work once her injuries have healed.

“It’s going to take some time to recover,” she says. “The doctor expects I should regain about 80 percent of the gross motor function in my hand. Once my leg wound is closed I should be able to start walking again.”

North owes her survival to her knowledge of medicine, she says.

“When I got to Phuket hospital I really had to solicit help for my hand,” she says. “I had to ask for blood transfusions and a tetanus shot. Had I not been a physician I don’t know if I would have survived my stay. They were stretched very thin.”

North remains optimistic about her future, noting a new outlook on her career and life in general.

“I was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time but considering I survived is really a miracle,” she says. “I was apparently saved for a reason. I think I’ll have renewed compassion for my profession in helping others.

“I’m certainly inspired to repay the kindness I received. The experience I’ve went through has really connected me in unbelievable ways to people.”

Donations to help defray Elizabeth North’s medical expenses should be sent to:

Libby North Medical Fund

Care of Sky Bank

8420 E Washington Street

Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023

Account #4604563624

440-543-2336

Cards may be sent to:

Libby North

8580 Tanglewood Trail

Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023