On Sunday, October 5, 2014, Sandra Kreis ran 26.2 miles in the Maine Marathon in memory of her father, David J. Kreis, Jr., MD, to benefit Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti (HAS).
Dr. Kreis was the founding Chief of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at Stony Brook University in New York. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, he volunteered at HAS as part of the Yale University surgical residency program, providing medical services to patients at HAS. Dr. Kreis died on October 8, 1989.
Twenty-five years after his passing, Sandy chose to run her first marathon to honor his dedication and passion for providing medical care in one of the poorest and most challenged regions in the world. “I wanted to give to something that he stood for; he stood for helping people. So, I figured if I could raise money, it should go towards immediately impacting people and that’s what led me to HAS,” said Sandy.
As a result of the marathon, Sandy raised $4,194 to help HAS build a community well, which will provide approximately 500 people with clean drinking water. “Water and sanitation projects are really crucial to sustaining life and preventing illness,” Sandy said. Approximately 40 percent of people in Haiti lack access to safe water, and many people, especially women and children, must walk miles each day to fetch water. HAS, the only full-service hospital serving 350,000 people in central Haiti, also runs an active Water, Sanitation & Hygiene program.
In a podcast interview below, Sandy talks about why she chose to run the marathon, why she too has become passionate about HAS, what this challenge means to her, and more.
To read more about Sandy’s story, please visit her webpage.
Interested in hosting your own fundraiser for HAS? Email us at info@hashaiti.org and learn how to become a strong force for positive change by fundraising for Haiti’s greatest health needs.