Manassas woman in Humvee gets patients to critical care during snowstorm

Two feet of snow didn’t stop Debra Bobitt from helping to get residents to critical medical care.

Area road conditions were treacherous when the major winter storm brought the region to the standstill on Jan. 22, 23 and 24. Despite the snow, hospitals, and medical clinic can’t afford to take a snow day when they have to accommodate patients who need daily treatment.

Bobitt was particularly of help to patients who needed to get to DaVita Dialysis in Woodbridge during the storm. With the help of her H1 Hummer that’s she’s owned for 15 years, Bobitt carried patients from their homes to the clinic. Then she waited two to three hours for them to complete their dialysis, and took them back to their homes.

Bobittt, of Manassas, has experience with operating large vehicles in harsh conditions thanks to her time in the military. She has given her time to Volunteer Prince William for more than five years.

“For Sunday [Jan. 24], it was about a 16-hour day,” Bobittt said. She started at around 6:30 a.m. and ended around 9:00 p.m.

That same day, Bobitt pulled out three snow plow trucks. Additionally, she took four nurses and the director to a dialysis station in Woodbridge, along with four patients. Then she took the nurses and the patients back to their homes.

On Monday, Jan. 15, Debra was in charge of taking a nurse to the Fresenius Clinic in Manassas. The nurse had to be at work at 5 a.m., so Bobitt started her day at 4:30 a.m. and worked nonstop until 8:30 p.m., volunteering a total of 33 hours over the weekend.

Bobitt keeps her Hummer stocked with rope (three inches in diameter), ice melts, shovels, and blankets. A week before the storm, Debra took her Hummer to the shop and asked her mechanic to prepare it for the storm.

“I am thankful to Coul’s Automotive for getting my Hummer ready for this storm, to my son Zachary for helping gear up the Hummer, shoveling the path to the oxygen patient, and helping at the assisted living facility. I am very grateful for Bonnie and the Volunteer Prince William program for reaching out to the community for help. And above all, I am thankful to God for giving me the life experience and financial ability to use my Hummer for its intended use,” she said.