[photopress:MBA_shock_trauma_team.jpg,full,alignright]The first U.S. shock trauma team, from the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, successfully completed their medical humanitarian work in Chengdu, Sichuan province and returned to Maryland this week. The team of trauma physicians and nurses traveled to China on June 6, 2008 to help victims of the devastating earthquake and have been working with Chinese doctors at West China Hospital in Chengdu for the past ten days.
The Wenchuan Earthquake Relief Headquarters presented the Maryland team with a silk banner reading ‘With Sincere Appreciation for Your Humanitarian Assistance.’
‘We appreciate the opportunity to support the Chinese people during this very difficult time,’ said Thomas M. Scalea, M.D., physician in chief of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He added, ‘We hope that our consultations are helpful to the Chinese medical professionals who have been working around the clock to save the lives of earthquake victims, including our new friend Duan Zhixiu.’
Duan Zhixiu, a 16-year-old Bei Chuan Middle School student, was buried in ruins for more than 10 hours before being rescued.
Her left leg was amputated, but when China’s premier Wen Jiabo visited her in the West China Hospital ICU and told her to ‘live life bravely,’ she wrote on a piece of paper to tell Premier Wen that she wanted to ‘go back to school.’