Made A Difference For That One: A Surgeon's Letters Home From Iraq

Made A Difference For That One: A Surgeon's Letters Home From Iraq
How can such a short week seem so long?
Monday is usually a bumper day since we have academic lectures and meetings. This week, starting on Tuesday, I operated for about 14 hours and then Wednesday was a full clinic with a few extra walk in visitors to add to the fray. In the middle of that I had to run downstairs to operate on a one-year-old boy's lung. Then today started with an emergency call to operate on a newborn who weighed just about a pound. Don't get me wrong, this sounds like complaining, but I feel lucky that I get to do such a wonderful job. It is exciting and rewarding, and every once in a while it goes so smoothly that I feel like I'm getting the hang of the awesom and frightening job of tinkering with injured and ill children. I know in my heart that when it does go right, it is only through the God's grace and the incredible power of the body to survive such grevious illness. Anyway, all that hustle at the hospital leaves me longing for some do nothing time, and a chance to blog fits it perfectly.

I have gotten such generous words from the people who have been kind enough to offer advice to me and M. about the book. We are spreading the word a little here and a little there. It doesn't hurt to have Mom as my full court press agent in Connecticut hooking us up with articles and interviews.

Well it's back to the grindstone tomorrow, but for now I'm chillin'.

Not just on the shelf, but on the table at R.J. Julia!

Dear Readers,

We have had a whirlwind of activity since we have received our first copies of "Made a Difference" But perhaps the most exciting develpment is knowin that we are on the New Books table at R.J. Julia Bookstore, the best bookstore in my hometown of Madison Connecticut. It is only through the untiring efforts of our publicist (Mom) that we achieved this success.

Of course, the most pressing issue, here, and across the nation, is the plight of the victims of Katrina. Thousands have arrived here in San Antonio and are being holed up at Kelly Airbase and elsewhere in the city. M. and the boys have been doing what they can to donate to the relief efforts and look for places to pitch in.

I had the good fortune of recieving the generous support of Safe Kids International, who donated up to 100 car seats, and more if we need them to the families who had to flee Louisiana and Mississippi to come to San Antonio.

I have upgraded the links so that there is a shortcut to the Peek Inside the book at iUniverse.

Take care and keep the victims of Katrina in your good wishes and prayers.

Be well,

Chris

21 AUG 05 My first trip to Alaska

21 AUG 2005

The Book is Out!

Dear Friends,

Meredith took the letters I wrote home from Iraq, converted them from my freestyle grammar to actual English, and has published them with the press, iUniverse. We wanted to do something more for veterans and their families, so 10% of the cost of each book will go to Fisher House, a home away from home for the families of injured war veterans undergoing treatment at military medical facilities. Of course you all have read the letters already, but if you still want to do something for Fisher House, check them out at:

http://www.fisherhouse.org/

The book can be viewed at the publisher’s:

http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-36624-4

and it’s also on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0595366244/qid=1123898987/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-9819806-4844117?v=glance&s=books

This past weekend I got to make a quick little trip up to Alaska. There was a 20-month-old baby there who had a severe case of pneumonia and required a lung bypass machine called ECMO to survive. Our hospital, Wilford Hall Medical Center, in San Antonio, is the only facility in the world that has long-range transportable ECMO so we were summoned to see if we could help him out.

As the surgeon, I had the easiest job of all. My purpose was to perform the procedure on his neck to connect the boy to the ECMO machine. Basically I flew 20 hours to do 20 minutes of work! The ECMO team of physicians and nurses did an amazing job of keeping the boy strong and getting him back to Texas safely. He is still in critical condition, but I see little signs of improvement now and then so I have high hopes for his recovery.

My patient, baby I., in Iraq has been up and down, but the last note I got from her father was encouraging. She had been troubled by a fever recently but it has gotten better and she feels well. Her father asked me when I was coming back to Iraq. He had difficulty getting her to be seen in an Iraqi facility, and was eager for me to return. What a surprise it is to me to find that I feel a tug on my heart to see Balad and this family again.

Today we held the Society of Air Force Clinical Surgeons Meeting. It was a great chance to get together with some of the wonderful people with whom I got to work in Balad. Each of the different specialties presented their experience to the visiting surgeons. It was great to see neurosurgeon Lee, who has moved on to private practice in Alabama. He was in civilian clothes and looked relaxed and happy.

M., the boys and I have been trying to take advantage of the gaps in my schedule to relax and have some fun. We’ve been going to work out, swim, and last night we hit the bowling alley! Every day I am thankful to be home and I don’t think I could ever take it for granted again!

Well, it’s not much to report, but life is happily calm and uneventful. I hope that you all are having fun and lovin’ life!

Your friend,

Chris

Here is the Astrocam launch at Ronald Reagan High School and an in-flight photo






















Here we are loading up the C-5 for Alaska and then flying baby M. home in the C-17