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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
News for
the week of Jan. 3 - Jan. 8
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