CINCINNATI -- Ryan Spill woke up early, got out of bed and made his way to the balcony of the two-story Haitian house. He thought he was prepared for what would come.
As he looked outside, he realized he had no idea.
People lined the street, waiting for professional care. Some of them had walked for miles, taking as long as 12 hours, even though they were missing limbs.
“It was chaos,” said Spill, a 41-year-old clinical specialist and prosthetist based in Cincinnati. “We saw maybe 100 people that day, just in and out.”
It was October 2014, four years after Haiti had suffered through a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and left nearly 150,000 others displaced. Medical resources were scarce. There were no physical therapists, no experts of any kind.
The population still needed help, even four years later, and while other organizations focused on giving basic necessities like food, water and shelter, Spill and a dozen others helped in a way some may not have thought of: They provided prosthetic limbs for those in need.
Turns out there were many in need. More than 500 patients were seen in five days.
It has now been six years since the Haiti earthquake. Many are still in need.
Ryan Spill has headed back to Haiti -- and he could use some help.
Insiders can find out what they can do to assist Spill during his trip.
