THE GUARDIAN ANGEL OF GUATEMALA.
By day, Dr. Jorge Chiu is a cardiothoracic surgeon. By night, he volunteers as a paramedic to help the violence-ridden streets of Guatemala City. There's no telling what he'll be dealing with on any given night. One moment Dr. Chiu will be dealing with a house fire—the next he'll be treating gunshot wounds.
Guatemala City’s metro area is the largest in Central America (population estimates vary widely, but there are somewhere between 2.5 and 4 million people here), and the nation is one of the most violent on Earth. According to the US State Department, in 2012 there were about 100 murders a week in the country of 15 million, and as many as 60 percent of Guatemalans own a gun. Put a heavily armed populace together with a region where gang warfare and drug trafficking are rampant, add a corrupt, incompetent police force and the problems that come along with widespread poverty, extreme street violence and deaths are common.
Chiu is a very busy man. Here are some moments of the violence and chaos he faces on a daily basis.