A large duffle bag stuffed to the brim with post-operation prosthetic socks lay on the floor of a medical room at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle on Thursday.

Orthopedic surgeons Tom Green and Lyle Sorenson spent the majority of the day packing 500 pounds worth of medical supplies for their month-long volunteer trip to Haiti. Beyond personal supplies such as clothing, dehydrated food and bars of soap, the surgeons planned to transport much-needed medical supplies including gaze, bandages, antibiotics, local anesthetics, surgical saws, drills and rods.

The medical supplies were donated by Virginia Mason along with additional contributions from the Virginia Mason Foundation.

The two surgeons, Green based at Virgina Mason’s Medical Center in Bellevue and Sorenson based in Seattle, flew Thursday night to Port-au-Prince to assist with medical relief following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12.

The earthquake aftermath in Port-au-Prince is said to be one of the worst natural disasters associated with crush injuries and amputations.

“I anticipate a lot of injuries,” Sorenson said. “The saddest thing will be the children in need of amputations and the open wounds we will need to treat.”

Sorenson said he has spent a lot of training at Harbor View “so I have seen a lot of trauma, but this is of completely different sorts. It’s an enormous human tragedy that is plaguing Haiti and we’re going to go help.”

Green and Sorenson were also joined by an orthopedic operating nurse, Merry O’Barr and an orthopedic physician assistant, Derek Gallichotte, from Virginia Mason for the medical relief trip. The medical team will board a private jet donated by a local corporation and will fly to Miami and then to a landing strip in Port-au-Prince.

Once on the ground in Port-au-Prince, the team of four will connect with Rev. Rick Frechette at St. Damien’s Hospital, a 120-bed hospital in desperate need of orthopedic assistance. Frechette is the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos Regional Director for Friends of Orphans, a nonprofit which supports nine orphanages in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Father Frechette is a good friend of mine and when he called on us, I knew I wanted to do what I could to help,” Green explained. “I was down in Haiti a couple of years ago so it’s very fresh in my mind. It’s a little scary to think about the aftershocks that continue to hit the area, but you just have to push those thoughts out of your mind.”

The medical team will represent the second wave of doctors arriving at St. Damien’s and will be treating bone fractures, breaks, and infections as well as performing amputations when needed. Just last week, Frechette reported more than 700 people waiting for some type of medical assistance at the hospital.

There is only one other orthopedic surgeon on location at the hospital.

According to Sorenson, reports back from medical staff on the ground in Haiti express their common fear of aftershocks, but overwhelmingly agree that if an aftershock hit, they would remain in the hospital with the children.

“Yes, it’s a scary thought, but these children are already fearful enough. They need to feel safe and cared for. That is our job,” he explained.

The medical team will remain at St. Damien’s Hospital for approximately four weeks, allowing for enough time to perform operations and schedule follow-up treatments.

“We want to be there, over the course of several weeks to allow for enough time to provide initial and follow-up medical care with the children we will be treating,” Sorenson said. “We don’t want to just fly in and out. We want to make sure we’re helping in the best way possible.”

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425-453-4602.

For instant updates from St. Damien’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince, follow Dr. Sorenson on Twitter @sorensenlyle or Virgina Mason at @VirginiaMason.