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Alumni Helping Haiti: In Their Own Words

Since the disastrous earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, Georgetown alumni from many disciplines—medicine, law, business and more—have been quick to answer the call for help. The following are just a few of their stories.

Joe Giere, M.D. (M’62, R’69)

Obstetrician & Gynecologist

“While I dressed severe wounds on an 80-year-old patient, the woman in the next cot came over to brush the flies away...”

Richard Perry, M.D. (C’51, M’55, W’62)

Internist

“A nun and pediatrician announced the children were going to have a parade, singing Creole and French Hymns while marching through the adult wards...”

Frank Duggan, M.D. (C’85, M’95)

Internist and emergency medicine physician

“The daughter, who had been trapped beneath the rubble for three days and had partial amputations of both feet, was our first patient...”

Sister Deirdre “Dede" Byrne, M.D. (M’82, R’97)

Surgeon and sister of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts

“I was amazed at the number of people from around the world who responded with such joy and desire to serve...”

John Donovan, M.D. (C’88, M’92)

Anesthesiologist

“On our first day working at the hospital, I watched a patient die from a pulmonary embolism—a life-threatening but preventable event in the U.S....”

David Callaway, M.D. (M’01)

Emergency medicine physician

“Just as we thought we had things under control, Mother Nature threw us another curveball when a massive aftershock rattled the border region...”

Jacques-Philippe Piverger (B’99)

Founder and chairman of The Global Syndicate

“I lost family, friends and my home in the disaster, so it hit home in a real way...”

Roosevelt Donat (C’07)

Associate, Brick City Development Corporation

“A grandmother came to tears when she realized that I am an American-born Haitian who still speaks the tongue of my ancestors—that I chose to help the people of my blood and not forget and forsake the land of my ancestry...”

Brian Concannon Jr. (L’89)

Director of the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti

“I lived in Haiti for nine years and know the country well enough to routinely expect extraordinary acts of charity, compassion and solidarity; but the earthquake response was remarkable even by Haitian standards...”

Tom Griffin (C’85)

Founder of an immigration law practice and a director of the nonprofit LAMP for Haiti

“I’d heard that little aid was actually reaching the people in the tent encampments…On March 23, our report was presented to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at the Organization of American States...”

Marisa LaValette (C’08)

Aspiring author and translator

“I entertained the sick and healthy children, who lost their homes and had nowhere else to go, with the hospital’s two coloring books and eight crayons...”

5 April 2010 | Compiled by Benay Brotman (C'06), alumni communications manager in Georgetown’s Office of Advancement

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