The short one
-
A team of cardiologists from Piedmont, part of Heart Attack Ethiopia, have been delayed in Atlanta due to a winter storm, which affected their mission to perform life-saving surgeries in Ethiopia.
-
The team, including Dr. Tesfaye Telila, was ready to take off when their flight was grounded, with more than 1,200 flights canceled at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
-
The mission includes sending more than half a million dollars in medical supplies and 14 healthcare professionals to Ethiopia, with volunteers giving up their vacation time for the cause.
ATLANTA – A team of cardiologists from Piedmont on a life-saving mission to Ethiopia has been delayed in Atlanta due to this winter storm. About a dozen medical volunteers, including Dr. Tesfaye Telila, who is part of Heart Attack Ethiopia, were preparing to take off at around 12.45pm on Friday when their plane was among those affected by a ground stop. A spokesperson told FOX 5 they have since taxied back to the gate and are heading home to try again Saturday. The team is eager to leave Atlanta and return to work on Sunday to perform life-saving operations.
A ground stop delay was imposed Friday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and more than 1,200 flights to and from Atlanta.
“After months of dedicated preparation, hundreds of emails, forms, phone calls and meetings, our team at Heart Attack Ethiopia Inc is ready to send over half a million dollars worth of vital medical supplies and 14 highly trained healthcare professionals to Ethiopia,” wrote Dr Telila wrote on his Facebook page late last year. “These incredible volunteers gave up their vacation time to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need.”
The team already expected delays, especially at customs. “While we understand the need for proper customs checks, we hope to avoid the delays experienced in previous missions,” the doctor wrote. “Our time on site is limited, and even a single day delay is too much for patients who have been waiting so long.”
The team has been told that there are no hotels available near the airport and that many of the volunteers are from out of town with no place to go. They are not sure whether they will sleep at the airport or on a plane.
SEE ALSO: Delays at Atlanta airport: Winter storm disrupts more than 1,400 flights
FOX 5’s Doug Evans first introduced Dr. Telila, who practices at Piedmont hospitals in Newnan and Fayetteville, and his team of volunteers. He and his wife, Dr. Obsinet Merid, an earlier mission to their home country to try to help the more than 6,000 people there who need cardiac care and are at risk of a stroke or heart attack.
The Source
This article uses information from a spokesperson and a Facebook post from Dr. Tesfaye Telila. A previous original FOX 5 Atlanta report was also used with the link in the article.
