Imagine being a father faced with the following dilemma: continue searching for your son under earthquake rubble in the hope of finding him alive or focus your efforts on your severely injured daughter.

Many had to make such choices after the morning of Oct. 8. On that day, Pakistan was faced with the worst natural disaster in its history, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale. It came at 8:51 a.m. as Pakistanis began their day in the cities of Islamabad and Kashmir, and in many rural communities. Most were fasting on that fifth day of Ramadan, when Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. Children were in schools, as Saturday is a working day in Pakistan. Unlike Hurricane Katrina, there were no warnings allowing people to escape. The first tremor was the big shock, as roofs and walls collapsed into one, trapping all in between. Nothing had prepared this nation for a catastrophe of such magnitude.

Being of Pakistani heritage and having a deep sense of belonging with its people, I want to keep this catastrophe at the forefront so it doesn’t become “yesterday’s news.” Though we live in Iowa, half a world away from recent tragedies such as the tsunami in Southeast Asia and the earthquake in Pakistan, we must embrace a global vision in understanding events that affect the well-being of the world community.

Currently, the death toll is close to 80,000 people. With 3 million left homeless in below-freezing temperatures, abundant snowfall and recurring aftershocks, and with little or no food and medicine, the survivors claim that those who died in the earthquake itself were the lucky ones.

Though there are hundreds of tragic tales, and each family has its own story to tell, I want to tell you about the 10-year-old schoolboy who was the only survivor among his classmates. Managing to remove himself from the rubble, he ran to his home only to find that his house was no longer there and his parents were buried in the rubble where the house had stood. Still in school uniform and not knowing where to go, he returned to school and sat amid the wreckage hoping someone would claim him. There are thousands of children like this little boy who have been orphaned by this calamity. I also want to tell you about the parents who managed to escape their homes and businesses and went looking for their schoolchildren only to find them trapped and being unable to remove them from the debris. As the mother of a 4-year-old, I ache as I learn more about this tragedy.

The full impact of this earthquake will only be revealed in the years to come as an entire generation is forced to step up to the challenge of healing itself. My goal in sharing this reality with you is to bring a little awareness among my fellow community members. I urge all of us to be “world citizens,” to look beyond the walls of our Iowa community and into the global arena as we think about how we can make a difference in the lives of those faced with utter devastation. As I hear of rescue and medical relief teams from around the world uniting in Pakistan, I know it will take the world community to help us face this tragedy. As we work together, I am confident that the healing of this nation will begin.

To make a tax-deductible donation, please contact the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America at (630) 968-8595 or www.appna.org. Donations can be made online.

Mashal Husain is manager of business development and strategic planning at Blank Children’s Hospital.