Textbooks

As most of you know I'm an orthopedic surgeon. I love my job. It took a long time to become a surgeon: 26 years of school if you count kindergarden. During those years of training, I read many, many textbooks. I lost count of the number of books. The information in all those pages provide the facts I need to do my job. I accepted that data without question because it was in a TEXTBOOK, written by some famous guy with impressive credentials. Somebody respected by his peers and by me.

In speaking with Haitians, I realized that many if not the majority of them have never read a TEXTBOOK. However they have read the BIBLE. To them it is THE TEXTBOOK; written by some famous guy with great credentials and an impressive pedigree. It provides the information they need to live their lives. They have zero doubt that the information inside is factual, and is irrefutable. Their immense faith is founded in their unwavering belief in the absolute truth of the facts in the BIBLE.

I've read the BIBLE for forty years and for some reason I never considered it a TEXTBOOK. After my trip to Haiti, I do now.

Motion Sickness

Have you ever been motion sick? How about car sick, air sick or sea sick? Terrible feeling. Nausea, dizziness, head aches, stomach ache and sometimes vomiting. Bad feeling not to mention ruins whatever you are trying to do at the time.

The physiology of motion sickness is the disconnection between what your eyes see and what your vestibular (motion or position detecting) system tell your brain confuses your body and all of the above symptoms result. When you read in a moving car your eyes say you are not moving (looking at stationary book) but your ears tell your brain that the car is moving: motion sickness results.

Ever heard of EMOTION sickness. Probably not because I just made it up. How about depression, anxiety, anger, panic disorders, mania and others. Many times these conditions are caused by the disconnect between what we are doing and what we know we SHOULD be doing. This may be on a concious level but frequently it is subconcious. Lashing out inappropriately or over-reacting has its roots in this disconnect.

We are all sinners who cannot behave in accordance with God's desires. Recognizing this fact, acknowledging that we are imperfect can relieve this disconnect. Hopefully stopping the EMOTION sickness.

Orlando Magic Defeat Boston Celtics 96-94

On January 28, 2010 the Orlando Magic used a 35 point fourth quarter to defeat the Boston Celtics 96-94. It was a matchup of last years Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series that went seven games. I'll remember that game forever; However I couldn't have cared less about the outcome.

I am a big basketball fan. I love basketball. Normally I would have watched every play of this big time NBA contest. On January 28, 2010 I was in Turks and Caicos returning from Haiti. We stopped there to refuel our Cessna as we bounced back to Florida. (That's another couple of stories) On this night I deplaned, walked into the tiny airport terminal and sat on a cushioned chair, in the air conditioning and watched the Magic come back from 14 points down and defeat the Celtics. I was completely disinterested. First of all I was exhausted having slept little and poorly the last four nights. Most of all basketball just didn't seem all that important. The devastation to Haiti overshadowed everything else. Sitting just a short distance from Haiti yet light years away I didn't really care that Ray Allen missed the winning three pointer as time expired.

Since returning I have looked upon events that I thought were important differently. The Super Bowl was a great game but it really didn't carry as much weight as in past years. To tell the truth, I was watching to see how many Haiti commercials there were. I did root for the Saints (I now feel like I have a better understanding for Katrina victims).

I still want to win all the games I coach, but if it doesn't happen I have a new perpective of what matters. I was able to spend another day on the basketball court with my son. My wife was able to laugh at me begging the ref for a call and watch her son compete.

Come this June, I'm sure I'll watch the NBA playoffs and I really hope the Spurs beat the Cavs in six games but if they don't; doesn't really matter. I'll still be wondering how the Haitians that I operated on are doing. Did their fractures heal? Did my amputees get their prosthesis and can they walk. How many orphans still need homes and families? I'll still be praying for them.

Numbers

1/12/10 date of quake
40 seconds duration of quake
200,000 deaths (maybe more)
300,000 injured
1.5 million homeless
80,000 bodies buried with no markers
7.0 intensity of quake
44 years life expectancy in Haiti
$660 average yearly income
1804 year of independence from France

Yet to be determined:
date Port au Prince is rebuilt
final death toll
# of amputations/prosthesis sent to Haiti
orphans adopted
Dollars donated in relief effort
meals delivered

FEEL FREE TO ADD OTHER IMPORTANT #"S in comments

"Be Part of the Solution"

I have prayed many prayers in my life. Prayers for forgiveness, thankfulness, strength,compassion and countless other things. When I first heard of the earthquake in Haiti I prayed several prayers. Comfort, healing, leadership and others. I also prayed for a chance to help. I was given that chance.

While in Haiti I had the opportunity to assist many people. I prayed many times while there: make my hand steady, my decisions correct.

Since returning to reality I have gone back to my orthopedic practice. I've continued to pray; for skill, compassion, patience and others.

Looking back on my life I realize that as long as I can remember I've been praying. All sorts of prayers. When I think about the type of prayers that I pray I realize that most of the time I pray for the same thing. I pray to be able to heal; to be a good father to my children; to be the best husband I can be; to help people; to do the best that I can. I pray to be part of the SOLUTION. That's what I ask for; All I want is to be part of the solution. We all should......

Ice

Ice, I like ice. For the most part my interaction with ice has been pretty pleasant. Well except for a few slips and falls, I appreciate ice. Seems like a weird blog topic but I couldn't resist writing today after I was struck by the distance between an ice cube and my experience in Haiti last week. Down there you might as well be looking for a moon rock as a piece of ice. I caught my self many times saying to a patient " It's just a sprain, (all together now) go put some ICE on it." I'm not sure the country villagers would know what ICE is. There's no way they ever had any in their tiny way back in the jungle village and I'm pretty sure that if they had some the last thing they would do with it would be to put it on their ankle. Maybe they'd put it in their DIET COKE. Oh the irony of a diet coke to a Haitian is just too great. Really? DIET?? COKE??? So from now on when I waddle up to a fountain drink stand and fill my 64 oz cup with ice and DIET COKE, I'll think of Haitians drinking warm water they dipped from a stream running over the ground with untold things in it.

Going Home Should be Easy

We left the Mission of Hope at 12:15 Thursday afternoon. Took somewhat of a roundabout path to the airport in Port au Prince. I'm having trouble calling what we did sightseeing but that's what it was. Oh, the sights we saw. Drove right past the mass graves just north of highway #1. Headed south into PAP. Much heavier traffic leaving the city then going in. All the trucks leaving have entire families in them with all their possesions tied on top. They are all headed into the countryside to hopefully start anew. We next made a lap through the hardest shaken areas. The damage is incredible. No building is without damage. Roofs down to street level. I can't help wonder what is still under many of those piles of rocks. Then we passed the destroyed government buildings. Not much left of the buildings or of the government. Next through the business district: little business taking place. On to the airport, minimal security but why should the airport be any different then the rest of Haiti. I haven't felt "secure" at any point during this trip. Our exit plane arrives and it's tiny and with no frills. A significant drop in luxury from the jet we arrived in. Similar to my perception of the world since I arrived in Haiti; not always a luxurious place. It's been an eye opening trip. I never knew that places like Haiti existed in the modern day world: Naive, uninitiated, standard American with no clue about the rest of the world's plight? I qualify. Friday after taking a commercial flight from Florida to Austin I was relieved to be back in home. I drank water directly from the faucet, ate Mexican food until I was about to pop and took a nap on my pillow top matress. All of them were the same as when I left them six days previously yet vastly different.
My trip home was difficult but it pales compared to the thousands of Haitians who have no home to go to.
I now appreciate the luxuries I have been blessed with after seeing the absence of such in Haiti.
Thanks Haiti for opening my eyes.