COM Outlook Summer/Fall 2020

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 9 As the number of deaths mounted, Andrade was shocked to learn that many of the deceased were going unclaimed because the bereaved families couldn’t afford to claim their loved ones. As a result, the deceased were taken to a mass burial site and interred without family members in attendance. “There was no ceremony to honor the lives of the departed, and there was no closure for the families,” Andrade said. “This weighed heavily on me, so I helped establish a fundraising campaign called RE-NYC through the non- profit surgical volunteer organiza- tion Healing Hands Abroad, which I have been involved with for more than 10 years.” The RE-NYC fundraising initiative provides financial support to families of COVID-19 victims who are experiencing financial hardship and cannot afford to give their loved ones a proper goodbye. To assist with the fundraising enterprise, an artist named Donald Robertson donated an exclusive piece of art that reflects the tenacity and spirit of the city. T-shirts featuring his unique art print were then mailed as a thank you to anyone who donated $50 or more. “One person RE-NYC helped was a patient who came for a routine follow-up visit after undergoing a reconstructive hand/ wrist surgery I performed during the pandemic. He told me that in one week, his wife lost her father in New York City, and he lost his brother in Mexico, to COVID-19. I asked how he was going to pay for the New York funeral, and he said he didn’t know,” Andrade explained. “With glassy eyes, he said he would ask the funeral home if it would finance the funeral, and he would somehow find a way to pay the money back once he could resume work after he recovered from his hand/wrist injury,” he added. “I told him about RE-NYC and said we would cover the entire cost of the funeral. That was a good day.” To learn more about RE-NYC or Healing Hands Abroad, please visit healinghandsabroad.com . o Andrade poses with a patient and his wife, who benefited from the RE-NYC initiative he helped establish. ANGST LEADS TO ALTRUISM