I would like to thank the chiropractic and medical communities for their love and support in helping the people of Cuba (DC, November 30, 2000). Together we were able to raise over $2,000,000 in medical aid, supplies and equipment, including a $100,000 portable X-ray machine (courtesy Steven Catlin of Kaiser Permanente) and emergency surgical equipment; a $75,000 laboratory; $85,000 in gym and rehabilitation equipment; over a million pairs of surgical gloves and 300,000 pairs of surgical booties (courtesy Jim Chitty); and defibrillators (courtesy Jay Rodriguez and Herbert Hafif).
Other contributors include my past assistant, Teresa Gutierrez, who brilliantly organized our first airlift and managed day and night trucking, workers, and warehousing. There would not have been an airlift if not for her diligence to duty and quick thinking in dealing with Los Angeles International Airport officials. Joe Perez of TACA Airlines, whose planes made the lift, and who worked with Teresa, also helped make it a reality.
We also received undaunting support from the National Council of Churches (NCC), under the guidance of its general secretary, former Congressman Bob Edgar; and Rick Augsburger and Dr. Anwalt of Church World Services (CWS), who helped with shipping two 40-foot containers full of supplies from our warehouse in Pasadena, California to the East coast, then to Cuba.
Our gratitude extends to all the doctors who donated, wrote, faxed and e-mailed me with their words of encouragement and support. Even with threats of terrorists and international unrest, it is extremely gratifying to know that there are many patriotic Americans who wish to help their neighbors. Those who need the help appreciate it and the love and concern given.
As an additional gesture of thanks to chiropractic and medicine, the NCC and CWS have arranged, through the U.S. Department of the Treasury, to sponsor a lecture at Frank Pias Hospital in Havana, Cuba, at the Sports Science Symposium, February 6-10, 2003. Dr. Alvarez Cambras a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon and inventor of the "external distractor," a device designed to set bones with minimal surgical intervention) and I will cover topics such as chiropractic, orthopedics, biomechanics, hydrotherapy and spinal decompression techniques from a "sports science" point of view.
If you would like to know how you can learn to help patients help themselves, and participate in the symposium, contact me. Your name will be added to a security list, and all registration information will be sent to you by our travel coordinator, Elaine Hutton. The NCC has only been authorized to accommodate 50 participants and 25 rooms (confirmation is on a "first-come, first-served" basis).
One hundred percent of all profits from this event goes toward reimbursing the NCC and CWS for the shipping of the medical supplies and equipment to Cuba. It also helps them continue their life-saving work.
Leroy Perry,DC
Los Angeles, California
Dr. LeRoy Perry Jr., president and founder of the West Los Angeles-based International Sportscience Institute (ISI), was the first chiropractor to serve as an official Olympic team doctor. He co-founded (with NBA Hall of Famer, the late Wilt Chamberlain) the Foundation for Athletic Research and Education, an organization that teaches athletes how to enhance performance through proper diet, exercise and biomechanics; and chairs the Sports Science and Medical Advisory Board for America's Schools Program, a national recycling initiative that raises money for education (K-12 grade).