Alaska News

Christmas Islanders find new life through the help of Alaskans

Robei Rutia never expected that when it came to saving her life, she'd have to make it all the way to Alaska, far from her home in the South Pacific. But when a lingering heart condition worsened and required surgery, a journey north gave her a new chance at good health.

Last month, Rutia, 24, had open heart surgery in Anchorage to repair two failing heart valves that left her increasingly bedridden and unable to walk more than a few steps -- the result of inadequate medical care at her home in Kiritimati, better known as Christmas Island, a coral atoll that was the site of atomic testing during the 1950s.

But with the help of a few Alaskans, Rutia is able to do much more than walk now.

"She got her life back," said Chris Lawson, a registered nurse who helped first diagnose Rutia during a cardiology clinic on the island in March 2013.

Rutia and her husband, Michael Jim, spent the last month in Alaska as Rutia underwent surgery to replace the two failed valves -- her mitral and aortic -- at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Alaska. The trip and the treatment were made possible through donations from the hospital, aid organizations and the men who diagnosed Rutia in the first place.

Last week, she walked gingerly through Hickel House guest housing at Providence, still moving slowly from the open heart surgery just two weeks before, warmly bundled in winter boots, a heavy sweater and bright blue pashmina scarf. Despite the distinct lack of sunlight, Lawson couldn't help but notice the dramatic shift in Rutia's color, now bright and warm, instead of pale and sweaty as when he first met her before the surgery.

Lawson said Rutia's quick recovery has been miraculous. Immediately after her surgery, her heart's capacity effectively doubled. With her tissue valve replacements, it should be another 15 years before she has to consider other surgeries.

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Fly fishing leads to cardiac clinic

The story of how Rutia ended up in Alaska starts with an unlikely group: fly fishermen.

Geographically, Christmas Island couldn't seem less like Alaska. Its close proximity to the equator keeps temperatures consistently in the 90s. It's a flat, coral atoll, home to pristine blue waters and sandy beaches. There are small shops, but no supermarkets. With only one flight a week to the island, food is expensive and hard to get. Residents live in homes made of coconut trees and eat mostly the abundant fish that swarm the island.

Those fish also draw tourists, the main economic driver on island, known for its world-class fly fishing.

Last December pilot Michael Schoder, Lawson and a group of doctors, all avid fishermen, traveled to the island for the first time. That was when they met Rutia's husband, Jim, a fly fishing guide at one of the island's resorts.

There the men heard about some of the heart problems people the island were facing. There is a hospital on the island, but resources are limited. There's no cardiologist or specialized medicine. Even medical supplies are limited in availability, which is how Rutia developed heart problems in the first place. She developed a strep infection in her youth -- something that would normally be treated easily with antibiotics. But with limited resources, Rutio never got the treatment she needed, and the infection attacked her heart. She said many people rely on native medicine, like herbs, to treat most afflictions.

"I don't know if it treats it," Rutia said.

Lawson, a cardiac nurse, said the infection weakened the valves of Rutia's heart. Blood was pumped back and forth through the valves instead of straight out.

Rutia said as she got older, her weakened heart only grew worse. Normally active, she could barely find the strength to get up and go to work. She even ended up moving in with her parents, who could better care for her.

So Rutia was excited when in March, four cardiologists, with support form the Texas-based aid group Pacific Islands Medical Aid, flew to the island for a cardiology clinic.

Lawson said the cardiologists came equipped with technology, including a portable ultrasound device the size of an iPod and an EKG machine.

There they were finally able to accurately diagnose a number of islanders who had long suspected they had heart conditions. Lawson said the doctors found 20 people with problems. Of that group, about a half dozen required immediate emergency surgery.

Rutia was one of those, and one of the worst. Lawson said without corrective surgery, it's unlikely she would have survived the next year.

"We knew if they didn't do anything, it would be bad," he said.

And doing something meant heading to Alaska.

Big differences

Despite sitting more than 4,000 miles away from Alaska, Christmas Island is closer than you think. There is a flight once a week from the island to Honolulu, and from there, a five-hour flight from Hawaii to Anchorage.

Still, even Honolulu might as well have been a world away according to Schoder, the member of the original fly fishing group who traveled with the Rutia and Jim. The shopping, the industry -- even the grass -- was new and overwhelming at first for the couple. Jim said before this trip he'd never even been on an elevator.

"They might as well have gone to Pluto," Schoder said.

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Once in Alaska, Rutia said everything was shocking, from the high mountains to the abundance of snow -- and especially the cold.

"It felt like an indoor freezer," she said.

But Rutia and Jim adapted, with the help of their new friends in Alaska, who donated clothing, gear and good cheer, including a Christmas celebration far from Christmas Island.

Jim was even able to surprise Rutia with something he'd been trying to do for a long time. While she was in surgery, he asked Lawson if he could visit a jewelry shop. He wanted to get a wedding ring for Rutia. Few wear wedding rings on the island, due to the lack of access. There is nowhere to buy jewelry on the island, and it's difficult to have it shipped in.

After Rutia emerged from surgery, Jim slipped the ring, set with a ruby and several tiny diamonds, on her finger.

She beamed showing off the ring last week. It may not seem like much, Rutia said, but on the island the ring would be special, and she was glad to have it.

Among other things.

Suzanna Caldwell

Suzanna Caldwell is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in 2017.

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