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A man was pulled from the rubble of a local market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Monday after 28 days of being buried.
The diggers found Evan Muncie, 28.
He was transported to the University of Miami Field Hospital, located next to the airport in Port-au-Prince. Doctors reported that the man suffered from extreme dehydration and malnutrition.
According to a CNN article, the man said that people brought him water while he was trapped, though he appeared to be confused, and at times, thought he was still trapped after his arrival at the hospital.
Mark E. Venable, associate biology professor, said that a possible reason for the Muncie’s confusion is because “the brain runs solely on glucose. Once the body burns all the glycogen and becomes hypoglycemic, the brain has difficulty functioning.”
Glucose is an optically active sugar, C6H12O6, that has an aldehydic carbonyl group.
“He's still sick, he cannot talk to anybody, but we are very optimistic with the condition of the patient,” Dr. Dushyantha Jayaweera, quoted in a BBC article, said.
Muncie displayed his resilience by surviving one month under the rubble with no food and little water.
“The average person's body starts to break down carbohydrates first, followed by fats, then protein,” Venable said. “The biggest problem is water. When you breathe, you breathe out water, and in a humid climate, where the air is saturated, you will last longer.”
Haiti’s government called off search-and-rescue efforts on Jan. 23. The last person alive was found Jan. 27, until the discovery of Muncie Monday.
Story: WILL JOHNSON, World Today Contributor
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