LUMBERTON, N.C. — After Hurricane Matthew came stories of loss, but a Lumberton family is celebrating life.
Logan Britt was born Friday, Oct. 14 just outside of Southeastern Regional Medical Center in a mobile hospital center called “Med 1.”
The hospital brought the unit in from Carolina’s Healthcare System amid a staffing shortage and the hospital’s loss of water and electricity.
Even with electricity back in the hospital, Med 1 remains set up on a street outside.
So, when Logan’s mother, Sandra Simon, arrived to the hospital, doctors thought she might need an emergency C-section and Med 1 was the fastest option for treatment.
“Well when they told me I was going to the mobile, I didn’t really know where I was going,” she said
Knox Britt, Logan’s father, said, “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard about the mobile. I did not know nothing about the mobile. Thank God – thank God we have people here to help us.”
Ultimately, Baby Logan and his mother made it through labor just fine.
“I’m blessed about it,” she said.
“He’s brought a lot of tears to all of us. He’s brought us closer as a family,” Britt said.
John Roberts, an emergency physician with Med-1, delivered Logan.
“It’s definitely different. You do all of your training in a hospital and now you’re operating out of the back of a double-wide,” he said.
Brandon Locklear, an OBGYN at Southeaster Regional Medical Center, rushed from his home for Logan’s birth. He estimates he’s delivered between 5,000 to 7,000 babies.
“This will be one that sticks out,” he said.
It’s especially memorable given the tough circumstances of Hurricane Matthew.
“To be able to bring life in, it kind of warmed everybody’s heart and kind of gave everybody more energy to keep going,” said Jason Cox, chief operations officer, Southeastern Regional Medical Center.
Roberts said, “We heard stories from every other patient: ‘I’ve been sitting in water for two days. I’ve lost my family. I’ve lost my house.’ And this was a nice diversion from that.”
Logan’s family did not have significant damage to their home, which is another reason they walk away especially grateful after Hurricane Matthew.
“I’m just blessed I got my family. I didn’t lose nothing,” Simon said.
They gained a son and a story to tell young Logan for years to come.
“I would tell him that during this time, the tragedy that we have, that he was our support,” Britt said.
The “Med-1” mobile unit will be on site for a few more days.
Southeastern Regional Medical Center still does not have municipal water, so it’s pumping a supply from tankers.