A Cedars-Sinai-trained doctor is doing what he can with his mobile intensive care unit to help the survivors of Maui’s destructive fires.
Dr. Reza Danesh, founder of MODO MD, immediately got to work to treat those who’ve been impacted by the deadly fires that has been consuming the historic neighborhood of Lahaina. The doctor, who trained at Cedars-Sinai and UCLA, has more than two decades of medical expertise under his belt.
MODO, which is short for “mobile doctor,” runs as a mobile office where Danesh offers free medical care as a nonprofit. The doctor said he began to get messages from paramedics the night of the fire.
Maui Wildfires
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“I knew I needed to go activate MODO for the people on that Wednesday,” he said of the frantic calls he got last week. “I filled up the van and just went out. I brought more trauma stuff, airway stuff, respiratory meds. I had no idea what I was walking into.”
Since the beginning of the fire’s destruction, the doctor has cared for victims and provided IV drips for search and rescue teams that have been working tirelessly. With the situation in Maui dire, Danesh recalls the grim sights he’s seen while working.
“I felt caught off guard,” he said. “Because people coming out, survivors, the people who swam into the ocean, all those videos you’ve seen -- it’s like a horror movie.”
As of Wednesday, the devastating fires claimed the lives of 106 people. A mobile morgue unit with additional coroners arrived on the island this week to help sort through remains.
