Dr. Larry Hull

It was the days of the Dust Bowl…and it was one long night when a future hero to thousands in need was born at home during a blizzard. Lawrence Hull, M.D., founder of the Washington Orthopaedic Center in Centralia, Washington, and winner of the 2010 American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons Humanitarian Award, has improved the lives of countless people—not only by providing orthopedic drills equipment, tools and plates, but by founding a nonprofit organization that provides employment, medical care, and education to those in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Through it all he was listening to his heart…a heart that years ago received a “command and an invitation.” Through it all he could see that there was a place where science and religion could not only coexist, but could radically change people’s lives.

Perhaps it was because Dr. Hull started out with a hardscrabble existence that as an adult he could easily feel the need of those halfway around the globe. Dr. Hull: “My parents, like their neighbors, struggled to make ends meet. We moved from Texas to Oklahoma, to Oregon, where we had a farm (but no indoor plumbing). My brother and I pitched in daily, milking cows, etc.…all the while thinking that everyone worked that hard. My parents were excellent role models for compassion. During the polio epidemic—when it was unclear whether the condition was contagious—my mom volunteered to help patients in iron lungs. That was when I started dreaming of helping others.”

Not long after, Larry Hull would get his calling.

A missionary doctor came to our church one Sunday and talked about how God can use us to help others. It was a calling that I felt I could respond to, and eventually decided that medicine would be the vehicle for me to serve the world.

“In medical school I drifted toward biomechanics and the science of the musculoskeletal system, with an eye towards helping patients maintain their mobility. It was also appealing that in orthopedics you can usually do something about the diagnosis.”

Following three years in the military, in 1973 Dr. Hull found himself looking for a different kind of challenge. “I wanted to go somewhere where no one was doing orthopedics. I selected Centralia, Washington, a small community with 50, 000 people and no orthopedists. Over the years the practice grew to 50 employees, including six orthopedists and three physician assistants.”

And these, says Dr. Hull, are the folks who keep things running when he is changing limbs and lives abroad. For over 30 years, Dr. Hull’s faith in his talents and faith in God have come together to benefit many a soul in underserved areas. “On my first trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG) I treated a man who had been beaten very badly and had a fractured leg. Six weeks after his surgery I watched him walk away from the hospital and in front of him was a church spire. I had an epiphany at that moment: this is where science and faith meet. There is indeed a sometimes inexplicable bond of faith and reason.”

No one makes an announcement when an orthopedist shows up for work…except when it’s Dr. Hull. “My church was doing mission work in Nicaragua when I got a call from someone saying, ‘We need you in Nicaragua next week.’ I gathered all of the equipment I could and when my plane landed I learned that my impending arrival had been announced on the radio. Hundreds of people were lined up to receive treatment.”

While Dr. Hull has dedicated his time to the needs of those in several other countries, it was Papua New Guinea where he put down roots…and raised up a community.

The need there was so great—there were no brace shops in all of PNG, and no orthopedists until 1992. It was necessary to improvise quite a bit, for example, taking hip implants and cutting them down to size to use for other bones.

“All they had in the way of tools were small hand drills and hand saws; so I brought thousands of dollars worth of equipment and over the years—and with lots of assistance—I have totally equipped the local hospital with plates, screws, external fixators, etc. In addition, my team and I trained a local general surgeon to be very a good orthopedic surgeon.”

And with its local culture having a bent towards skirmishes, PNG needs as many people who know what to do with broken bones as possible. Dr. Hull explains, “The young men are warriors and fight quite often. Even fourth graders carry bush knives, so in this type of environment you see not only open fractures but open wounds. It is a polygamous society so we see situations where wife one and wife two fight each other and do a great deal of damage. Then there are the ‘regular’ conditions such as osteomyelitis; I see more of this condition in the first hour of clinic in PNG than I would see in my career in the U.S. Kids go barefoot a lot there, so we also treat a lot of children with infections in their bones and joints due to dirty water, poor hygiene, scratches and cuts.”

Dr. Hull at Anglimp Secondary School…inspecting one of the wells put in by Na WokabautWhen Dr. Hull looked around PNG, he saw not just problems, but opportunities for the local populace. Then he really put down roots…the roots of coffee plants. “My wife and I purchased a coffee plantation and have been able to employ hundreds of people, build a school, construct wells, and establish a local clinic of some significance (for example, we vaccinate more than 5, 000 children per year). It has been a privilege to have so many people trust me with their needs…it is truly humbling.”

Women and children waiting for immunizations at clinic in Papua, New Guinea“My wife and I have largely worked through our nonprofit organization, Na Wokabaut, which translates to, ‘Now Walk About’ in the local language. It represents this concept of vitality, and is a command and an invitation—you might say a calling—to get up and walk and go on with your life. We work from the premise that every person has valuable skills, even if they are often unknown to him or her. Our goal is to help people use or enhance those skills, which can then be used to generate income or be beneficial in some other way.”

The attitude behind the work is what Dr. Hull says has been the engine that has driven his accomplishments. “I feel that I have been blessed with the gift of encouragement. I try to approach those who are injured with the philosophy of, ‘Let’s talk about your health, your life, and your dreams. I will walk along side of you and we will get through this together.’”

And perhaps Dr. Hull—and those to whom he extends himself—can thank a nurse in small town America for making him a better doctor. “There was one experience in my career that changed me more than anything else. Early on, I was like many young doctors in that I was a bit arrogant and was always hurrying through appointments. One day a nurse who I had worked with for a long time came into my office and shut the door. She said, ‘Dr. Hull, you need to slow down, sit down, and do a better job of listening to your patients.’ It was the moment when I learned that we are all learners.”

To those young orthopedists out there with an interest in helping others abroad, Dr. Hull says,

Go where others are in desperate need; you will never be more satisfied with your work. Focus on what you can do and don’t be distraught about what you can’t do.

Dr. Hull and his wife, Arlie, managed to raise not just a village, but their own little community…their family. Dr. Hull: “I am most proud of seeing my five children become great citizens; they are Godly people making a difference in their world. And I am so blessed to have a charming, vigorous, engaged wife who at times is my best counselor. We are both fortunate to have an enormous amount of energy.”

Dr. Larry Hull accomplished an important merger…one of faith and science that resulted in new lives for thousands.