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There is virtually no one in the region who didn't lose a loved one. Cemeteries abound with fresh graves, and piles of debris are everywhere. Yet life is returning with surprising speed, in part because of the Kashmiris' deeply held faith in God's will. Volunteer groups and the Pakistani government are providing people with tents and other provisions to help the hardy natives weather the harsh winter. And amid the rubble, cricket matches are springing up. Kids play and giggle, standing on the broken roofs of collapsed buildings where their relatives died.The sound of banging hammers now echoes in villages throughout Kashmir. Encouraged by a government outreach program, citizens, including Abdul Majeed, are rebuilding using wood, brick and corrugated iron sheets, which will be much more quakeproof than the fragile stone-and-concrete buildings that crushed so many people.
Operation heartbeat will not be leaving anytime soon. There are plans to convert the Garhi Dupatta camp into a state-of-the-art medical center staffed by Pakistani doctors. "We're going to be here for as long as it takes to get this place back on its feet," says Todd Shea. Marc O'Regan returned to the United States late last December.
Before he left Pakistan, the young girl with the infected head injury paid him a follow-up visit. He was happy to see that she was responding to the antibiotics.
During a final stop in the Gehl Valley, O'Regan opened his tent to find a woman in the doorway holding a ten-day-old baby. It was the same woman the physician's assistant had helped with the postpartum bleeding. O'Regan's face lit up. "Oh, good!" he exclaimed. "I was hoping I'd see you." Pausing amid the chaos around him, he took the baby girl in his arms and, grinning like a proud uncle, gazed down at this vulnerable but promising new life.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: On February 24, 2006, two months after his return to the US, and about one week after this article reached subscribers, Marc O'Regan died suddenly of a massive heart attack. Marc was a bright light of humanity, a fearless soul who really dared to live in service of others. Sitting around a campfire in a spectacular Kashmiri valley beneath the stars, Marc felt lucky to be there, savoring his deep connection with the world. He was planning to return to Pakistan in the coming months to continue his important work.
It is telling of Marc's great enthusiasm for life that he died while he was dancing. His was a rare spirit, and he will be greatly missed.
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