Elmira Nurse dies in Haiti earthquake
Posted Jan 14, 2010 04:14:45 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A family friend of an Elmira nurse who was killed in the Haiti earthquake spoke to the media last night.
Bob Raymer’s wife Marylin was on the medical mission with Yvonne Martin. He spoke to reporters at the Waterloo Mennonite Brethren Church saying he received a text messages from his wife from the moment their group arrived to word that Martin had been killed. The two were part of a crew of 7 from Waterloo Region there on a medical mission in the city of Hinch.
Raymer says it was the second time his wife had been on a medical journey with Martin.
He told reporters he received a text message from his wife was Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. saying “We have arrived. It’s hot. Love you.” At 5:06 p.m. the message was “Earthquake. OK.” Then “Guest house gone” about 15 minutes later. At 7:17 p.m. a final text message “Yvonne buried under the rubble along with two people” and then the cell phone went dead.
Raymer, whom the Martin family has designated as a spokesperson said he received a phone call from his wife the next day at the Canadian embassy saying Martin’s body had been recovered. Raymer had to make the difficult call to Ron Martin, Yvonne’s husband. He said “They appreciated knowing, because the only thing worse than knowing is not knowing — not knowing if she was suffering, if she was trapped in the rubble.”
67-year-old Martin was the first confirmed Canadian casualty in what’s been described as the largest earthquake to strike Haiti.
Raymer said plans to bring her home have not been finalized and it’s not certain when his wife and the other medics will arrive back to Canada.
