Cape resident Kristin Gustin, right, with Island Tactical owner Jay Sanderson on Pine Island after Hurricane Ian. PHOTO PROVIDED

Nurse Practitioner Kristin Gustin of Pine Island Millenium Physicians Group was determined to provide medical care, even after she boated to the island and saw the damage left by Hurricane Ian. After the storm, Gustin said, before FEMA or any medical relief teams arrived on the island, with the help of Island Tactical owner Jay Sanderson, she made trip after trip in order to care for those in need.

“The next day after the storm I ended up going out to the island by boat–pretty much every day I did. I would leave in the morning around 7:30 and come home around 8 or 9,” Gustin said.

Gustin, who lives in Cape Coral, said she and Sanderson always had a different boat to get to the island and always found a way to get back home. Each day, they loaded up a boat with supplies such as gasoline, food and drinks. She began doing wellness checks in the first two days, she explained, but soon found that it wasn’t enough.

“With the blessing of the CEO of Millenium I was able to open up our office, despite having no electricity, no water, no air conditioning–we turned it into an emergency clinic,” Gustin said.

After making an “emergency clinic” sign out of plywood, people were coming in non-stop, she said. Linda Overbaugh, her medical assistant who lives in Bokeelia, agreed to help, without question, never leaving Gustin’s side, she said. Together they picked up the ceiling, which had caved in on the floor of the waiting area and proceeded to treat various patients with multiple issues, from children with acute bronchitis, to laborers who’d fallen from ladders, sustaining deep lacerations.

“We cared for whoever came in–it was a long journey–we just never left,” Gustin said, adding that the help she received from locals, as well as Sanderson, was crucial in allowing her to do this. “They provided a generator to our office, they ended up giving us endless supplies of gasoline and checked on us probably five or six times a day. Amazing locals dropped off air conditioning window units. We had medical disaster relief come in and set up Starlink so we had internet access for everybody eventually,” Gustin said.

Several people helped to tarp the roof, she said, due to quite a bit of sustained water damage.

Overall, Gustin admits she’s met many amazing people who have likely become a permanent part of her life as a result of working together through the disaster. Once islanders realized they were open, they showed up to volunteer non-stop, she said.

“They gave us a list with names and if someone needed something off-site, they would give us the address and I would go out personally and do whatever needed to be done–whether they had a laceration, or needed medication or a shot of antibiotics–I was even going by boat to pick up medicines for patients and bringing them back because the pharmacy wasn’t open,” Gustin said.

Through every facet of the hurricane response effort, Gustin admits she found it difficult to take a break, explaining that even after returning home as late as 10 p.m., the island lingered on her mind, finding it was all she could think about.

“It has made us stronger. We’re that much closer because of this. I honestly feel that I could count on any person on this island and I hope they know that they can count on me as well. We are Pine Island strong,” Gustin said.