SRW Accomplishments

HANDYMAN HAEFER

By Sylvia Boomsma

"I just fix stuff." That's how Gary Haeferdescribes his contribution to Sharing ResourcesWorldwide. The owner of Midwest Biomedicaland Scientific Services, Inc., Gary is all aboutfixing things -- specifically, laboratory equipmentand medical machinery in hospitals,nursing homes and clinics. A married father offour, Gary, who's been in his line of work foralmost 30 years, travels a lot for his job, butthat doesn't discourage him from traveling toHonduras with SRW medical mission teams,something he's done at least five times.

When he's not on a mission trip, he's alwayswilling to lend his time and expertise to SRWhere in Madison. He procures needed equipment,often purchasing it himself and donatingit. He refurbishes used machines before they'reshipped to hospitals or clinics in need. "Whateverthey need," Gary says, "I'll buy it, donateit, find it. It only takes a little bit of my timeor money. And the rewards are a hundred-foldwhat I give."

You don't have to know Gary long beforeyou see that he's a get-'er-done kind of guy,and a great asset to SRW. Power failures andequipment malfunctions and losses are a partof almost every trip. Having someone like Garyon the team -- whether here in Wisconsin or ona medical mission -- is a great help.

Gary first heard about SRW from MargeAbegglen, RN, who manages the operatingrooms at Beaver Dam Community Hospital,one of Gary's accounts at the time. When abrand new hospital was about to open inSiguatepeque, Honduras, Marge and Garyserved as the advance team for an SRW medicalmission; it was Gary's first trip. Members of themission team had purchased plane tickets, andplanned to arrive in Siguatepeque to work inthe new hospital one week later. All Gary and Marge had to do was make sure the site wasready and everything was set up. But whenthey arrived, they found a hospital still underconstruction: it had no doors or windows,no plumbing or electricity. Welders andelectricians were at work. There was water onthe floor. "We were shocked at how unreadyeverything was. We had sent down operatingtables that weighed 1,000 pounds each. Therewere no trucks, no lifts. We recruited eightguys to move each table. They were all speakingSpanish, and I don't know any Spanish atall. Marge was so afraid someone was going toget hurt. Marge cried a lot during those days.She was the one who had to call Mary to saywhether the trip was a go or a no-go. She keptputting off the phone call. I kept telling herwe'd get it done, even if we had to work allnight. A week after we got there, the medicalteam was on site, doing surgeries."

A veteran team member, Gary has seen itall and done it all -- from helping to put outa wildfire on the hill behind the hospitalin Siguatepeque, to joining a crew of 10-20local men putting in telephone poles. "I doeverything," Gary says. "Whatever they wantme to do." Gary's cool head and know-howhave saved the day on more than one medicalmission. "You gotta go down there with anopen mind. Be ready for anything. It's like aM.A.S.H. unit. You can lose power at any timeand you gotta improvise. The medical teamsare always cool and relaxed. Mary somehowpicks people who can adapt. She's a great leader.I' privileged to know the doctors, nurses,dentists, and others who make up the teams.At first I went as a favor, but when you see theresults first hand, you want to help. I'm glad tobe a part of it. I see the kids and the smiles ontheir faces. The team does so much more than Ido. I just fix stuff."

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