Earthquake Survivor Details Experience
By John Denton
January 26, 2010
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – There are times, even now, when Mary Bassy is still haunted by the images seared into her memory and she’s fearful that the ground will once again shake violently and swallow up everything in her life.
Such trauma lingers for Bassy, a Parramore resident who survived the devastating Jan. 13 earthquake in Haiti. The 7.0 magnitude quake -- the most powerful to hit Haiti in a century -- was centered about 10 miles southwest of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and estimates have the death total at 200,000.
Bassy saw that death and destruction firsthand when she returned to her native Haiti two weeks ago and the massive quake hit just 3 ½ hours later. She avoided injury by initially standing in a doorway of her family home and then scurrying up a mountain as the ground continued to shake.
Along the way, she passed one dead body after another, but she and her family just kept running up that mountain where they would stay without food and water for the next four days. Ultimately, Bassy was rescued by members of the U.S. Air Force and she found her way back to Homestead and then to Orlando where her family of four children and husband, Jean, awaited.
``I was one foot outside, one foot inside. I don’t know why I survived, but I am very lucky,’’ recalled Mary, referring to her fight to stay alive during the quake. ``Jesus loves me. If I run in during the earthquake, I die. I just kept asking God to save my life because I wanted to see my kids and my husband again.’’
The Bassy family was brought together last week at a Magic game as guests of season-ticket holders Lori Julian and Todd Long. They have known the Bassy family for a couple of years since Jean, a local handyman, did some work on their house. Touched by their story, Lori got tickets to the game for Jean and Mary and children Robertson (16), Stevenson (12) and Jefferson (9).
The boys got to stand in the Hi-5 line before the game, greeting the Magic’s players as they came on the court. And Magic superstar Dwight Howard greeted Mary courtside after being told of her fight for survival back in Haiti.
For one night at least, Mary was able to let go of the pain and sorrow that has gripped her for weeks and enjoy a Magic game.
``Forget, no, but for tonight I am very happy,’’ Mary said.
Mary went on to say that ``it’s been a hard time in our lives.’’ Just weeks before Christmas, the Bassy’s apartment in Parramore had been broken into and many of the children’s games and Christmas presents were stolen. Lori Julian told friends of the Bassy’s bad luck, and the group purchased replacement gifts and home necessities for the family.
And the Magic has certainly done its part trying to make Parramore a better place to live. The Magic have pledged $250,000 to the Parramore Kidz Zone and After School All-Stars to provide positive programs for local youth in hopes of deterring them away from drugs, gangs and violence. The Magic also played a major role in refurbishing Parramore’s New Image Youth Center, built a new playground at the John H. Jackson Community Center in Parramore and helped to refurbish the downtown Boys and Girls Club.
For the Bassy family, the not knowing about the safety of their mother in earthquake-ravaged Haiti was torturous. The family’s oldest child, 21-year-old Erica, was actually talking to family members in Haiti over the phone when the quake hit. Seconds after Erica was told that the ground was shaking, the phone lines went dead. Then, mass chaos ensued.
For five straight days, Jean tried dialing Mary’s phone, but got no response because service on the island was down. Jean continually promised his children that their mother would survive because she is a strong woman, but deep down worry persisted. For the four days that Mary was missing, Jean didn’t eat or drink because he was so worried about his wife.
``Five days, I don’t hear from her and I’m feeling so sick,’’ Jean said. ``I had to go to work to stop thinking about it. If I go home, I’m just in the bed sick. My body was so weak.’’
In Haiti, Mary saw haunting, horrifying images she will never forget. Thousands dead and millions homeless. Starvation and destruction. And mostly hopelessness. And she was one of the lucky ones. Several of her family members died. Her mother had to stay in Haiti because she is not a U.S. citizen. And Mary’s niece, Widly Baillerjoux, is at the top of her concerns now because she is expecting twins in a month and needs help in Haiti.
``I was there four days and I slept on the ground, no sheet or nothing. I was scared. A lot of people died,’’ Mary recalled as tears streamed down her face. ``When I went to the airport, I see dead people all in the roads. Just dead people everywhere. Some of them, they just pushed them together. Some of them were just pushed into the fires.’’
Those images were briefly pushed aside when Mary was greeted at the Orlando Greyhound Bus station last week by her family. All the worrying was washed away by sheer joy.
``There were a lot of tears and we were all hugging her,’’ said Robertson, 16. ``Watching it on TV is what had us all so worried. We realized how bad it was. She told me that she had to sleep on a rock and how it hurt her back so bad. She got real paranoid when she came back because she felt like the ground was going to start shaking again. She said she feels like the earthquake is going on. She still gets real paranoid about it.’’
But for one night at least, Mary was able to push the reality of the situation back in her native homeland aside and enjoy a Magic victory over the Sacramento Kings. Watching her three sons, all aspiring basketball players, marvel at the players brought her great joy.
``It’s been a hard time in my life. I can’t explain how hard it’s been,’’ Mary said, while wiping away the tears. ``I just kept asking God to save my life because I wanted to see my kids again. Tonight, here at the Magic (game), I am happy again.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John Denton
January 26, 2010
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – There are times, even now, when Mary Bassy is still haunted by the images seared into her memory and she’s fearful that the ground will once again shake violently and swallow up everything in her life.
Such trauma lingers for Bassy, a Parramore resident who survived the devastating Jan. 13 earthquake in Haiti. The 7.0 magnitude quake -- the most powerful to hit Haiti in a century -- was centered about 10 miles southwest of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and estimates have the death total at 200,000.
Bassy saw that death and destruction firsthand when she returned to her native Haiti two weeks ago and the massive quake hit just 3 ½ hours later. She avoided injury by initially standing in a doorway of her family home and then scurrying up a mountain as the ground continued to shake.
Along the way, she passed one dead body after another, but she and her family just kept running up that mountain where they would stay without food and water for the next four days. Ultimately, Bassy was rescued by members of the U.S. Air Force and she found her way back to Homestead and then to Orlando where her family of four children and husband, Jean, awaited.
``I was one foot outside, one foot inside. I don’t know why I survived, but I am very lucky,’’ recalled Mary, referring to her fight to stay alive during the quake. ``Jesus loves me. If I run in during the earthquake, I die. I just kept asking God to save my life because I wanted to see my kids and my husband again.’’
The Bassy family was brought together last week at a Magic game as guests of season-ticket holders Lori Julian and Todd Long. They have known the Bassy family for a couple of years since Jean, a local handyman, did some work on their house. Touched by their story, Lori got tickets to the game for Jean and Mary and children Robertson (16), Stevenson (12) and Jefferson (9).
The boys got to stand in the Hi-5 line before the game, greeting the Magic’s players as they came on the court. And Magic superstar Dwight Howard greeted Mary courtside after being told of her fight for survival back in Haiti.
For one night at least, Mary was able to let go of the pain and sorrow that has gripped her for weeks and enjoy a Magic game.
``Forget, no, but for tonight I am very happy,’’ Mary said.
Mary went on to say that ``it’s been a hard time in our lives.’’ Just weeks before Christmas, the Bassy’s apartment in Parramore had been broken into and many of the children’s games and Christmas presents were stolen. Lori Julian told friends of the Bassy’s bad luck, and the group purchased replacement gifts and home necessities for the family.
And the Magic has certainly done its part trying to make Parramore a better place to live. The Magic have pledged $250,000 to the Parramore Kidz Zone and After School All-Stars to provide positive programs for local youth in hopes of deterring them away from drugs, gangs and violence. The Magic also played a major role in refurbishing Parramore’s New Image Youth Center, built a new playground at the John H. Jackson Community Center in Parramore and helped to refurbish the downtown Boys and Girls Club.
For the Bassy family, the not knowing about the safety of their mother in earthquake-ravaged Haiti was torturous. The family’s oldest child, 21-year-old Erica, was actually talking to family members in Haiti over the phone when the quake hit. Seconds after Erica was told that the ground was shaking, the phone lines went dead. Then, mass chaos ensued.
For five straight days, Jean tried dialing Mary’s phone, but got no response because service on the island was down. Jean continually promised his children that their mother would survive because she is a strong woman, but deep down worry persisted. For the four days that Mary was missing, Jean didn’t eat or drink because he was so worried about his wife.
``Five days, I don’t hear from her and I’m feeling so sick,’’ Jean said. ``I had to go to work to stop thinking about it. If I go home, I’m just in the bed sick. My body was so weak.’’
In Haiti, Mary saw haunting, horrifying images she will never forget. Thousands dead and millions homeless. Starvation and destruction. And mostly hopelessness. And she was one of the lucky ones. Several of her family members died. Her mother had to stay in Haiti because she is not a U.S. citizen. And Mary’s niece, Widly Baillerjoux, is at the top of her concerns now because she is expecting twins in a month and needs help in Haiti.
``I was there four days and I slept on the ground, no sheet or nothing. I was scared. A lot of people died,’’ Mary recalled as tears streamed down her face. ``When I went to the airport, I see dead people all in the roads. Just dead people everywhere. Some of them, they just pushed them together. Some of them were just pushed into the fires.’’
Those images were briefly pushed aside when Mary was greeted at the Orlando Greyhound Bus station last week by her family. All the worrying was washed away by sheer joy.
``There were a lot of tears and we were all hugging her,’’ said Robertson, 16. ``Watching it on TV is what had us all so worried. We realized how bad it was. She told me that she had to sleep on a rock and how it hurt her back so bad. She got real paranoid when she came back because she felt like the ground was going to start shaking again. She said she feels like the earthquake is going on. She still gets real paranoid about it.’’
But for one night at least, Mary was able to push the reality of the situation back in her native homeland aside and enjoy a Magic victory over the Sacramento Kings. Watching her three sons, all aspiring basketball players, marvel at the players brought her great joy.
``It’s been a hard time in my life. I can’t explain how hard it’s been,’’ Mary said, while wiping away the tears. ``I just kept asking God to save my life because I wanted to see my kids again. Tonight, here at the Magic (game), I am happy again.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
