HOUSTON – During the height of Hurricane Harvey, with a good portion of the city underwater and the rain still coming down, countless people across the area were stranded.
That included the youngest of hurricane victims -- dozens of children in desperate need of medical attention.
Dr. Michael Braun, the Texas Children's Hospital Chief of Renal Service, said, "Without these life-sustaining treatments over a period of time the patients can actually become critically ill and actually have life-threatening complications from renal failure."
He knew the children, who needed dialysis treatment, couldn't wait until the skies cleared and the water receded.
"Our challenge was really to try and figure out a way to get patients into the medical center with all the flooding going around," Braun said.
With help from the U.S. Coast Guard and Texas Task Force One, they coordinated efforts to locate those children and rescue them by helicopter.
"There are lots of things they teach you in medical school. Preparing and dealing with a weather event like this is absolutely not one of them," Braun said.
The chopper used to get the children became a problem on the flight back to the hospital because it was too large for a nearby helipad. The chopper was diverted to a nearby parking lot instead.
"Then the kangaroo team went from here down to the parking lot through the weather across the bayou and picked the patient up and brought them here for evaluation and management. It was really an amazing team effort," Braun said.
One by one, each of those patients and their families made it to the hospital.
"The first thing honestly that I learned is the patients and families we take care of are amazingly resilient people," Braun said.
Not long after Harvey, smiles filled the hospital as the young patients, their rescuers and the medical team were reunited. It was an incredible collaboration that saved lives and an experience those involved won't ever forget.
"It was really an unbelievable experience. A tribute to the organization and the people that work here. Just absolutely amazing," Braun said.