Doctor's last wish to return to Haiti

BLUFFTON, Ind. (WANE) - After spending 33 years of his life helping Haitians, a Bluffton doctor diagnosed with cancer wants to make one last trip to the tiny island country.

As a part of missionary work for the First Church of God in Ohio, Dr. Vic Binkley helped build a clinic and a hospital in Pierre Payen, Haiti. A general surgeon, Binkley performed three to five surgeries a day.

Binkley and his wife would split their time between Haiti and the U.S and would call both places 'home.'

"We're as close to those people down there as we are here," Binkley told NewsChannel 15.

Last June, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Knowing he may not have enough time, he wants to go back to tie up some loose ends at both medical facilities and see his Haitian family one last time.

"That's our heart, our home. Those are our friends," said Binkley. "We mean a lot to them and they mean a lot to us."

As his leadership in Pierre Payen comes to an end, Binkley hopes his work will continue long after he's gone.

"My legacy will be that it continues on; the good leadership. That we have people that can keep things going on. That was our dream at the beginning."

Because commercial flight are currently not allowed to fly through Haiti, Binkley and his wife will fly to Port-au-Prince, Haiti later this week aboard a donated plane carrying medical supplies.