WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - Today is a painful day for many as we remember the deadly earthquake that rocked Haiti a year ago today.

In the quake's aftermath a local prosthetics specialist, Jay Tew from Baton Rouge, helped start a clinic to treat amputees.

Tew spent three months in Haiti after the quake turning an old warehouse into a special place for amputees, and offering his services for free to the many survivors who lost legs or other limbs in the devastation, sometimes working as much as 18 hours a day.

One year later, nearly 700 limbs have been fitted to earthquake survivors. Tew said it's the most rewarding thing he's ever done in his life.

"You see the eyes of helplessness transform. It's this electricity that you can see, come into their face and their eyes and it's palpable like you can almost taste it. I've never cried so much in my life, and I'm not an emotional person, but you're not human if you don't," said Tew.

During his three months in Haiti, Tew not only gave prosthetic limbs to those in need, but also trained six Haitians to become prosthetic technicians for long-term care.

"After three months all of our guys were independent. I can hand them a mold and when we're done we have a finished prosthesis all done by them," said Tew.

To thank him for giving them back their mobility and independence, amputees painted one wall of the clinic.

"Now our lab has these beautiful colorful walls of all of these different murals in every room and to this day a year later it has turned into this magical unbelievable place," said Tew.