A snowstorm hit Birmingham, Alabama, Tuesday morning halting all traffic movement. A patient at Trinity Medical Center needed emergency brain surgery and its only neurosurgeon was miles away at Brookwood Medical Center.
Trinity staff informed him about the surgery and the neurosurgeon, Dr Zenko Hrynkiw, headed out to do the operation. But the storm was so harsh that his vehicle could not move more than a few blocks. Dr Hrynkiw got down and walked six to eight miles and performed the surgery to save the patient.
"The cell service was bad so we were fading in and out," Steve Davis, charge nurse in the neuro intensive care unit at Trinity told the Associated Press. "At one point, I heard him say, 'I'm walking.'"
He then quickly alerted the authorities. "The police were looking for him," Davis said. But hours later, he got a call from Dr Hrynkiw asking about the status of the patient. "He finally called me and said, 'Where's the patient? What's the status?'" Davis said. "He spoke to the family and went off to surgery. Without the surgery, the patient would have most likely died," he said. "But he is doing well."
Davis and the Trinity contemplated taking the patient to the Montclair Road hospital, which is nearly eight miles away. But Dr Hrynkiw arrived around five hours later and performed the surgery. "This just speaks volumes to the dedication of the man," Davis said. "When I saw him, all I could say is 'you are a good man.' "
"He's on call about 330 days a year," Davis told Utah People's Post.
For all the dedication he shows to his profession, Dr Hrynkiw responds saying, "I'm just doing my job." After all he took the Hippocratic Oath.
The severe weather Tuesday left many stranded and claimed at least 13 lives.
