TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | d e c 2 0 1 7 /ja n 2 0 1 8 21 first interview with Correa when he was just six years old. Cintrón told Flores that he recalled young Correa saying he wanted to grow up to be like Derek Jeter "because he's the best, and he's very humble." Listened to by locals religiously at noon each Monday through Saturday, "Hoy en los Deportes con Raul Cintrón" ("Today's News in Sports with Raul Cintrón" ) is so popular, that by the time the interview concluded and the doctors and Arroyo started their tour of the town, nearly everyone they ran into had just heard them on the radio. The World Series was all anyone was talking about. "They have the curfew and they still went out and tried to find the few houses that had electricity and TV so they could watch it and make sure they won," Flores said. "It was a great night for Puerto Rico for sure." While in Salinas, the doctors distributed enough food for 200 people, along with diapers, wipes and other supplies in high demand. They also visited the home of a 37-year-old patient who had suffered from hydro- cephalus and complications from meningitis when he was a little boy. Defying a life expectancy of 1 to 2 years, the conditions left him mentally delayed, but he has found joy in life—and, specifically, baseball. He listens to Cintrón's show every day. "He's a huge fan," Flores said. "He knows all the baseball stats, he's so good with numbers." The patient lives in a small house with no power, no water, and no bathroom. He has an aunt in Michigan who hopes to bring him, along with his mother and his father, to live with her in the contiguous U.S. After gifting the patient a Houston Astros cap and T-shirt, Flores evaluated him and determined that he was stable enough to fly on a commercial flight. He promised the mayor that his next big project was to coordinate transportation for him. The doctors flew back to Houston on Saturday, bringing with them another patient, an 8-year-old girl with leukemia. Before the hurricane, she would have easily had access to the treatment she needed in Puerto Rico. But on an island that's struggling to get basic supplies and services, her life could not wait. She is currently being treated at Texas Children's Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. Grain by grain Puerto Rico's needs are vast, and they are shifting daily. Correa's parents, Sandybel and Carlos, Sr., speaking in Spanish as Flores translated, said that as the island is recovering, donations for medications and building materials are still critical. For now, they are focusing their efforts on collecting galvanized metal, wood panels and two-by-fours because it has been raining steadily and many homes are still without roofs. "We understand that we can't fix everything at once, but just contributing our own grain of sand, grain by grain, we think we'll be able to make a differ- ence," Sandybel said. Indeed, any gesture, no mat- ter how small, helps the island's uphill recovery. Flores and Polo plan on returning to Puerto Rico as often as possible in the coming months and hope to provide hands-on support at medical clinics and with specific rebuild- ing projects. They will continue their efforts indefinitely, under- standing that the scope of the disaster is still unknown. "Every time we go there in person, it's really devastating," Flores said. He recounted a story about neighbors in Salinas who were burning debris from the storm. A paint can, hidden in the pile, exploded, and burned a small child's arms and face. Flores worries that if the child's wounds get infected, he will die for lack of antibiotics and medical care. "These things are happening and no one hears about them," Flores said. There are happy stories, too. In mid-November, Flores got word from JetBlue that the 37-year-old patient in Salinas would be flying to Michigan with his family later that month. Flores contacted Cintrón with an idea, and shortly thereafter, the devoted listener heard the news via his favorite radio show. "His mom said that he started screaming like crazy," Flores said. If you would like to help the doctors' mission, please visit gofundme.com/UnidosPorPuertoRico TOP: Radio sports commentator Raul Cintrón before his interview with Drs. Flores and Polo. BOTTOM: A framed photo of Carlos Correa hangs on the wall at the radio station.

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