There have been a lot of stories of heroes in the aftermath of the hurricane Harvey. There are those that have risked their lives to save others, and there are also those who do whatever they can to make a difference in the lives of the people in the area. That is exactly what this doctor did in Houston, when he canoed through flood waters so that he could perform surgery on a teenager who needed immediate attention.
The doctor was Dr. Stephen Kimmel of Houston. He got a call earlier in the day that he was needed in the hospital to treat a teenager with testicular torsion. The condition was painful and needed to be treated immediately. Kimmel left his house and tried to drive to the hospital, but the road to the Clear Lake Regional Medical Center was flooded. Kimmel only got so far before he was forced to turn back home because of the rising flood.
But thankfully, Kimmel rain into two volunteer firemen who were able to reach him in a truck that had a canoe in the back. But instead of taking the small boat home, he requested to use the small canoe to get to the hospital. The three of them then proceeded to paddled towards the hospital against the current. When the waters were not as deep, Dr. Kimmel jumped out of the canoe and walked the rest of the way, almost a mile, to get to the hospital.
“Sometimes you have to do whatever it takes,” said Dr. Kimmel, “This young man’s life would have been changed for the worse forever if we hadn’t been able to perform surgery when we did. In the end, it all turned out very well.”