A Jamaican man visits the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) for help during the ship’s medical mission in Kingston, Jamaica. Comfort is working with health and government partners in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean to provide care on the ship and at land-based medical sites, helping to relieve pressure on national healthcare systems, including those strained by an increase in cross-border migrants. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Julio Martinez Martinez)
Transcript
(Western music playing) (film reel sound)
My name is Steve Makrid, and I’m form ST. Andrew, Jamaica. So was on a Sunday, it was a rainy day, and I said I wasn’t playing football, but however, I went to play. I stepped on the ball. I felt the twist, the snap. So I thought it was just sprained. But when I looked at it, everything was out of place. My leg was, the foot was in a different place.
Ah yes, he was a young active male, who sustained an ankle fracture, while playing soccer. He was originally splinted and was waiting to try and get surgery. He is about two weeks form his injury, which is kind of the window, if we’re not gonna treat it right after the injury happens. The window in which we like to operate on. So the type of ankle injury that he had was an ankle fracture, with an unstable ankle. So typically we want to enter treatment surgery almost universally. When we were able to get him back to the operating room, do and open reduction and internal fixation, to realign his bones and fix it with a plate and screws, to provide a stable ankle. He still has a couple of months of recovery, in terms of getting the bones to heal and then getting his motion back. But probably about three to four months down the road you should be able to get back to activities, get back to work, and then back to playing soccer.
Based on the discussion, I will say that, I understand everything, it was like I was there before I went there. The whole process, discuss the process, what’s gonna take place. What’s the risk, what the percentage of the risk, and all of that. Well, I almost feel like I wanna join the NAVY and be a doctor myself. So jovial, so friendly, everyone is pretty cool. Like everyone’s smiling. I don’t know when you guys are angry. So you guys have saved the day.