Ailing Haitians become Flyers' guests

NEWARK, N.J. - While most Flyers fans who planned a trip up the New Jersey Turnpike were stuck in Philadelphia, a group of brand-new fans joined the team at the Prudential Center from an even farther distance: Haiti.

Flyers director of team services Bryan Hardenbergh and broadcaster Keith Jones were eating breakfast at the Newark Airport Marriott yesterday morning when they overheard Dr. Katie Gollotto's conversation.

Gollotto, who works with a private practice associated with Virtua in Marlton, N.J., was stranded at the airport with a group of Haitians who are trying to get to Philadelphia for medical attention.

Gollotto, an Ocean City, N.J., native, attempted to bring four adults and four children from Haiti to Philadelphia on Tuesday under a "humitarian parole for medical services'' act, but their flight was diverted to Newark because of the snow.

Hardenbergh and Jones thought it would be fitting if the group could catch the Flyers and Devils game in Newark, since they were already stuck for the night. Hardenbergh arranged for the group to sit in a suite and sent the Flyers' team bus to pick them up at their hotel.

They made up a part of the approximately 4,000 who braved the elements to get to the Prudential Center.

"They saw us and invited us to the game," Gollotto said. "They knew we were stranded. It was unbelievable."

Gollotto, 32, who lives in Medford, had been in Haiti for 3 weeks. This was her second trip back to the United States, bringing along patients who need medical help that they can't receive in Haiti. She intends to go back as soon as this assignment is completed.

She said she was "never someone who could donate and just sit there," she needed to "do something."

This time, she brought back a 15-month-old baby who had trouble breathing through the dust with a heart condition and three others with severe leg injuries. Two of the girls Gollotto brought with her already had legs amputated and another had a temporary rod inserted.

Flyers players Ray Emery, Danny Syvret, Riley Cote and Ville Leino - all scratched last night - accompanied the Haitians on the team bus and carried the injured into the arena through the snow.

"They were pretty thrilled to see the snow,'' Syvret said. "You could tell they were afraid to touch it. They weren't accustomed to the temperature but they were very joyful people for what they have had to go through. I hope they get the much-needed help in Philly.''

Gollotto planned to finally get the crew to Philadelphia today. A Philadelphia Eagles chartered plane brought the group from Florida to Newark, after the first leg of the trip from Haiti.

"This was a total team effort," Gollotto said. "I can't explain all of the help I've had, between the flights and everything else. A Haitian chef at the hotel brought them Haitian food. They don't like American food. We used clothes from the hotel's lost and found and someone else was able to communicate in Creole since we lost our translator.

"It's amazing to see them interact. They had never seen a real bed before. They were sleeping on awful mattresses on the ground. They have never seen running water or hot running water."

The baby with the heart condition will receive treatment at DuPont Hospital in Delaware and the other three with leg injuries will head to Shriners Hospital in Center City.

Despite the weather concerns in Philadelphia, Gollotto was pushing to get out of Haiti as quick as possible on Tuesday.

"They are changing rules for the parole every day down there," Gollotto said. "I wanted to get them here as soon as possible to get them the medical attention they need."

To learn more about Dr. Katie Gollotto's cause, Doctors United for Haiti, or to donate, visit www.dufh.org.