By: Kim Mailes, American Red Cross 

Every American Red Cross volunteer deploying to a disaster relief operation is encouraged to “get to yes,” to find a way to overcome every obstacle and provide services and support for those affected. Recently, a team of Red Cross volunteers worked collaboratively and creatively for one man, illustrating the remarkable and personal power of the Red Cross.

Ricky Christmas, a military veteran, was at home in Tallahassee, Florida, when a hurricane hit the area, causing significant damage to his house, disrupting his day-to-day life, and affecting his health. He fell when leaving his home seeking refuge, aggravating his condition. When he arrived at the Red Cross shelter, he found volunteers who not only addressed his immediate needs, but began working toward longer-term solutions for his unique challenges.

“The Red Cross was so good to me,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough for the kindness I received. It meant so much to me — especially at a time I was really hurt.”

The Red Cross shelter in Florida had no internet service at the time, so a Red Cross supervisor who was assisting virtually in Seattle reached out to Cathy Gordon, a volunteer with the Missouri-Arkansas region, asking her to also work virtually to pull all the threads together to assist Ricky.

“Basically, I was the behind-the-scene person to work on Ricky’s case after he returned to his home,” Cathy said, “My number one task was to find him, then to get his documents updated. I thought it was kind of cool that I could help with some things that were really important without actually being on the scene.”

Ricky’s medical needs were unusual, and were further complicated by working with the Veteran’s Administration to find proper resources. He needed a specific kind of walker to assist him in getting around, and he also needed air conditioning, which is not something that is often provided. But in Ricky’s case, it is a necessity that had been prescribed for him by his VA physician.

“We had to stretch a little bit and talk to the VA,” Cathy recalls. “I was the one who did the behind-the-scenes work, got it in the system and negotiated the situation because his difficulties were partly due to military injuries and partly due to injuries suffered during the disaster. After I did a lot of the initial work, the Red Cross recovery expert on the scene at the disaster relief operation in Florida picked up what I did to get it all cleared up.”

When the solution was given the green light, the case was turned over to two Red Cross volunteers deployed onsite in Florida, Elizabeth Quinn from Winchester, Virginia, and Dr. Richard Zlotnic from Simpsonville, South Carolina. Elizabeth is a retired registered nurse, and Richard is a retired general surgeon.

“Richard and I were tasked with taking Ricky shopping to get the durable medical equipment he needed,” said Elizabeth. “He was just so sweet. When we arrived at his house, he invited us in and asked if he could do anything for us. You could see the house was damaged and there was water coming in. We told him we needed nothing, that we were there to help him.”

After shopping, they stopped for lunch, a burger and a vanilla milkshake.

“It was the best milkshake I ever had,” Ricky said. “They showed me so much kindness. The milkshake brought back memories of my grandmother who raised me. She always liked vanilla milkshakes.”

Richard and Elizabeth also discovered that buying groceries and preparing meals was a challenge for Rickey, so they contacted Cathy to find a solution. Searching online, Cathy found a Meals on Wheels program in Tallahassee and sent that information to Richard and Elizabeth.

“I didn’t know the Red Cross could help me like that,” Ricky said. “I was hurt and just trying to do what I knew how to do to help myself. I was surprised when they said, ‘We’re going to figure out a way to help you’.”

Recalling the whole experience, Cathy said, “It was fun to work with other volunteers from across America, both those on the scene and others working virtually, and see success for Ricky. It takes a team, and we want to find success for one person at a time, to take them out of their suffering.”

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer like Cathy, Elizabeth and Richard, visit www.redcross.org/volunteer and sign up today.