Prior to making landfall in Florida last September, Hurricane Irma blew through the Caribbean islands, battering an estimated 1.2 million people with roughly 185 mile-per-hour winds. Medical school students at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Sint Maarten witnessed the hurricane's destruction firsthand before being transported off the island and taking classes halfway across the world in the U.K. while the university campus — and the island — underwent repairs.
Students returned to Sint Maarten to resume classes earlier this month. Graham Dersnah, 27, a third-year medical school student at the university, spoke with Becker's Hospital Review about his experience before and during Hurricane Irma, what it was like being evacuated off the island and how the disaster gave him a new sense of confidence to continue studying medicine.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: What made you decide to apply to the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine?
Graham Dersnah: There were several contributing factors to applying to medical school. My father is a doctor, so I grew up hearing about his stories and experiences and had always wanted to experience them for myself. I didn’t think about attempting to apply to college for medicine; instead, I chose math and statistics because math and science were my favorite courses in high school.
A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a severe sinusitis infection, which took me almost a year to fully recover from. The infection began to affect the nearby bone and the doctor said if I had waited any longer, there was potential for it to reach my eye. While waiting in a hospital in Ontario, Canada, for a consultation with a surgeon, my mother noticed me looking around at the doctors. She asked if I wished I had pursued medicine, and encouraged me to consider the application process and everything the career had to offer. One month later, I took the MCAT and began applying to medical schools. After applying to seven Caribbean medical schools, I had a gut feeling that AUC was the right fit for me. I was very impressed by the school and the university's "meet and greet" event in Toronto. My gut feeling was right — my experience at AUC has been amazing. I'm very much involved in the campus community and with my peers.
Q: What do you remember most about the moment Hurricane Irma blew through the area?
GD: I woke up during the storm and asked a friend, "What is that sound?" not even realizing that we were right in the middle of the hurricane. I did not realize what was going on. For the entire duration of the storm, I was sheltered in AUC's auditorium with about 700 other students, faculty and friends. The building was constructed in 2014 and was designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. I mostly remember the rumbling wind and rain on the small windows of the auditorium. Thankfully, I was not in my apartment, because I later found out the walls of the building had completely blown in. Since we were in the AUC auditorium, we all had electricity, food and water, and remained safe and dry.
Walking out of AUC's campus was the most surreal part of the experience. Right before the hurricane, I walked into the auditorium with everything completely fine and beautiful outside, and the next day, there was destruction everywhere. It's difficult to describe walking back along the familiar roads and seeing all the debris, broken buildings and trees, smashed cars and apartments. I wasn't scared or angry; I was mostly shocked at how our home had been destroyed so quickly. I was also intrigued by the human nature/psychological component of this experience. I watched how people's attitudes and behaviors changed under those extremely challenging circumstances. There was a lot of support and camaraderie, but there was also a real sense of desperation among people who had just lost everything. It was amazing to see how quickly things can change when a disaster like this happens.
Q: Students and faculty relocated to the U.K. to continue their studies while the university was repaired. What was your time abroad like?
GD: First, we are all very appreciative to the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, U.K., for opening up their facilities to the hundreds of AUC medical students. Personally, I enjoyed being in U.K. It did not take me long to settle in to my new apartment, adjust to the environment, and work out a schedule for attending class and studying. One challenge I faced was having night classes. Because we were sharing classrooms with UCLan students and did not want to disrupt their studies, we had lectures at night. It was a big adjustment for me to attend those classes, come home for a late dinner, go to bed and then have to study the material the next day. On the island, we have classes in the morning and the rest of the day is open to studying, which most people prefer, including myself.
Q: What was it like to return to AUC post-hurricane?
GD: I was excited to come back to the island. I missed the regular AUC schedule and the facilities — the ease of booking a room to run tutoring sessions, the quiet study spaces, the cafeteria, the anatomy lab. Of course, I also missed the weather.
Before arriving, I wondered how the island would look and if everything would be ready for our return. As soon as I landed, I knew that we would all be fine. There has been a lot of progress on the island and there is reconstruction in many of the neighborhoods near our campus. AUC itself sustained only minor damage during the hurricane, so the buildings and landscaping all looked like they did before the storm. As head orientation adviser at AUC, I had the opportunity to plan many of the welcome week activities for new students. While showing them and their families around campus, there was a general sense that the island is recovering more quickly than expected.
Q: How has the experience affected your passion to study medicine?
GD: In a way, I am glad to have experienced the hurricane. It's something that very few people can relate to and it adds to the story of my amazing medical school journey. My classmates and I went through a lot, but we stuck together and showed to ourselves and to others just how committed we are to becoming physicians. If I ever doubted myself, this experience reaffirmed that I am on the right path and that I will face any obstacle along the way as it comes.
I do not feel that I have lost anything. In fact, I feel that I have only gained new experiences, memories and more confidence to pursue a career that will allow me to help others who face challenges.