Heart condition ‘helped’ Nelson Ryman evacuate Haiti
By Kyle LoJacono
Staff Writer
ZEPHYRHILLS — When Nelson Ryman traveled to Haiti Jan. 12 he could never have expected to experience a 7.0 earthquake.
“It was just a normal day with the sun shining bright,” Ryman, 70, said. “I was in my hotel room at the time, when all of a sudden it felt like I was on the deck of a ship with 50 foot waves.”
Ryman arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, around noon Jan. 12. The largest earthquake to hit the nation in more than 200 years happened at 4:53 p.m. Ryman was one of the fortunate ones.
“I was able to get downstairs and outside without getting hurt,” he said.
The Zephyrhills resident travels to the village of Simonette about every six and a half weeks. He has done so for the last six years to visit Tytoo Gardens, an orphanage he supports. During the last 10 years, he has developed a bond with the children.
“I was so happy that (Tytoo Gardens) and all the kids survived the earthquake and the aftershocks,” he said. “I’ve watched some of them since they were 1-year-old. For them to still have a place to live is a miracle because most people in the village lost their homes.”
Ryman, who has lived in Zephyrhills since 1969 and owned H&R Interstate Mobile Homes, has a heart condition, which he takes blood-thinning medication for. He has had three angioplasties performed and recently had an aneurysm repaired. He had planned to stay in the country until Jan. 15 and had enough medicine to last him until Jan. 17, but his condition made him a special case for local government officials.
“After numerous calls and e-mails from the public, we felt we needed to try and rush him out of Haiti because of his age and heart condition,” said Joy Hampton, constituent services representative and grants coordinator for Rep. Ginny Brown Waite of Congressional District Five.
“We got his personal and passport information from his family and worked with the United Nations and the Haitian authorities to get him out of the country as safely as possible,” Hampton continued. “The problem was the area he was in was ten to 15 miles away from the airport, and with his heart condition he couldn’t safely get there.”
Ryman said State Rep. Will Weatherford also worked to get him out of Haiti.
While his location was a problem in getting him to the airport, Ryman could not be happier that the village was ten miles out of harm’s way.
“That is probably what saved the orphanage,” he said. “It was also good that it happened when it did. In Haiti, people spend most of the day outside because the houses are small. If it had happened later a lot more people would have been inside their houses when they collapsed.”
Ryman said the people of Simonette made tents to sleep in with bed sheets following the earthquake. Ryman himself slept in an abandoned pool Jan. 13 to protect from falling debris from the aftershocks.
The next night, Ryman was able to stop some UN trucks delivering relief supplies to the surrounding area. The truck drivers agreed to pick Ryman up on their way back to Port-au-Prince, where he could get on a plane out of Haiti.
“I know people were very worried about me being kidnapped, but that wasn’t my main concern because the UN had really cracked down on that and thrown the gang leaders in jail after gaining some control in the country a few years ago,” Ryman said. “I was just worried about everyone I knew in Haiti…There is a little store that I stop in for supplies each time I’m in the country. I was there the first day and later learned that everyone there was killed when the store collapsed.”
While Ryman worried about his friends in Haiti, his family back in Zephyrhills worried about him.
“The worst thing is not knowing what happened,” said Ryman’s son Kevin. “We didn’t know if he was OK or hurt or worse for a day. That was terrible to not be able to tell anyone anything because we just didn’t know.”
Ryman’s wife, Dottie, said she was able to speak to him for less than a minute Jan. 13.
Ryman eventually got on a U.S. Air Force cargo plane that flew him to Puerto Rice Jan. 14 and arrived at the Homestead Air Force Base Jan. 15. A colonel at the base drove him in his Cadillac to the Miami International Airport, where he got on a plane to Tampa International Airport.
“I just thanked God that I got home safe,” Ryman said. “Now we need to help the people of Haiti rebuild because what they need most now is shelter. They are very resourceful and can find food almost anywhere, but they don’t have homes left to protect them from the rain and the sun.”
While Ryman is already trying to stir up support for the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, his family is looking for him to take it easy for a little while
“Selfishly we try and get him to go there less often because we are always worried about him,” Kevin said. “We want him to support the orphans, but we are always afraid of what could happen. We never thought an earthquake like that would hit with him there though. Now we have another thing to worry about.”
It seems unlikely Ryman will stop his trips to the nation on the west side of the island of Hispaniola.
“I’ve grown to love all those kids down there that are in the orphanage,” Ryman said. “Just sending them money and supplies doesn’t impact them as much as me being there.”
To help Ryman rebuild some of the homes and shelters in Haiti, send checks made out to Jesus In Haiti Ministries to CenterState Bank, 6930 Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills.
NELSON RYMAN’S TIMELINE IN HAITI
- Arrived in Port-au-Prince at noon Jan. 12
- Reached Simonette around 2 p.m. Jan. 12
- Earthquake at 4:53 p.m.
- Spent the day in the remains of Simonette Jan. 13
- Slept in an abandoned swimming pool Jan. 13
- Got a ride from UN relief trucks to Port-au-Prince the evening of Jan. 14
- Flew from Port-au-Prince to Puerto Rico late on Jan. 14
- Flew from Puerto Rico to Homestead the morning of Jan. 15
- Touched down at Tampa International Airport at 3 p.m. Jan. 15
