HELLO FROM KENYA

I am here in hot, lovely Kenya. I have just started my medical mission here with the University of Michigan. I am very sorry to hear about all of the chaos and bloodshed in Sri Lanka, my medical post in September.

I am doing well here. In two days we will travel 100 kilometers to a different hospital. At the end of the mission, we may go on a safari. With my mind on you all and my heart going out to Sri Lanka, I leave you until the next post.

From a Friend: Thank you, my friend, for your words!

ARAMIZA HOŞ GELDİNİZ

Tuttuğunu koparan inatçı bir kişilik

Dr. Ziya;

Yarısı Karadenizli yarısı Erzurum dadaşı.

Fiziği ile ters orantılı duygu dolu bir insan

Dertlerini içinde saklardı yoktu sırdaşı.

İnce endamlı ince ruhlu fazla duygulu

Daima gülen bir yüz ve yüreği şen.

Sadeliği ile dikkati çekerdi

Sevgili arkadaşımız Kütahyalı Gülşen.

İnsanların yaşamı kaderin çizdiği yolda yürür

Günler geldi günler geçti yollar Erzurum'da birleşti.

Gökyüzünde sevdalar bulutlar arasında

İki gönül bir frekansta birleşti.

Erzurum'un ufukları dar geldi bu enerjik gençlere

Lisanını bilmedikleri yeni bir dünyaya uçtular.

Siyah, beyaz, sarışın doktorlarla yarıştılar.

Zaman içinde iki çocukları oldu

Maddi ve manevi her şeyi ile doyuma ulaştılar.

Sevgili kardeşlerimiz Gülşen ve Ziya

Sizler çok iyi bilirsiniz duygudan yoksun yaban elleri.

Ne mutlu bize ki kırk sene sonra da

Hala muhafaza ediyoruz çocuksu sevgileri.

Fazlasıyla ödedik insanlara olan borcumuzu

Bundan sonra kendimize harcayalım emeğimizi.

Hep birlikte mutluluk içinde geçirelim

Ömrümüzden geride kalan yaşlılık günlerimizi.

Memlekete dönmekle neşemize neşe kattınız

Anılarla dolu bir günü bizlere siz yaşattınız.

Sınıf arkadaşlarım adına sizi selamlıyorum

Emeklilerin mutlu dünyasına hoş geldiniz diyorum.

Dr. Niyazi Selamet

15 Kasım 2008, Fenerbahçe-İstanbul

Coming Home

I finally did get to do some good work, the work I can here to do. Now, I am back in Colombo. Tomorow night, at one minute after midnight, I am scheduled to return to the US. If everything goes as planned, I should be landing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on October 1, 2008 at 7:30PM.

Missing everyone...

Healing

For more than week I could not go on the Internet. I have to sit at a desk and wait for the connection. As soon as it comes on, it disconnects again. It is very frustrating.

I have done a lot of surgeries. Many of them have been life saving. The image to the left is from the Sri Lanka Hospital. It is taken from the Doctors Without Borders website.

I have only one week left. My team, the local doctors, hospital staff and even patients are asking me to stay longer. I cannot because of other commitments and promises I have made. Also my replacement is coming and my replacement needs some work. Although any surgeon here would have plenty to do I am sure.

Love you all!

And here he is!

Proud of my son

In the midst of all that is going on here, I just learned that my son has won an Emmy for his work on Heroes 360!
Here's the copy:

NBC.COM TAKES HOME EMMY FOR 'HEROES'

First Primetime Emmy Awarded to NBC.com For Outstanding Achievement in
Interactive Media


BURBANK, Calif. - September 15, 2008 -
NBC.com took home its first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Media for the "Heroes" and "Heroes" Evolutions sites. The site had four total
nominations. It was announced at the Creative Arts ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 13th.

"We couldn't have done this without the incredible teams involved," said Vivi Zigler, President, NBC Universal Digital Entertainment. "From the creators and producers of 'Heroes' and our incredibly supportive colleagues at Universal Media Studios to all of the team members at
NBC.com, everyone involved really got behind the project to give our fans the very best entertainment experience."

The other Primetime Emmy nominations this year included "Friday Night Lights" Spotlight on Austin, Jay Leno's Garage and "30 Rock": Kenneth the Web Page. NBC.com has received a number of awards for its digital entertainment experiences: the aforementioned Primetime Emmy for "Heroes" and "Heroes Evolutions," a Daytime Emmy Award for "The Office" webisodes, four Webby Awards and eight Honoree Recognitions, six TV Guide Online Video Awards and five Promax Awards.

Heroes: http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/
Heroes Evolutions: http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/evolutions/

About NBC.com:
NBC.com, the Emmy Award-winning broadcast network website, is a leading online and mobile destination for television and interactive entertainment. With both derivative and web-exclusive programming, NBC.com pioneered the "360" experience with "Heroes 360," which gave viewers a way to extend their entertainment experience beyond the broadcast, and the first weekly social networking experience attached to a primetime entertainment program with "Dunder Mifflin Infinity." The site offers full episode streaming of many NBC Entertainment shows as
well as short clips, interactive games and social networking, including user-generated content. NBC.com continually develops new ways for consumers to experience entertainment content on both existing and emerging platforms. The site is the recipient of multiple Emmy and Webby
awards for its content and applications. Please log on to www.nbc.com to learn more.

Point Pedro

I am finally in Point Pedro and working. The only problem is not enough work, which would be good if it meant that people are in good health. Unfortunately, what it really means is that people have been displaced and are not making it here due to the war.

We hear some shelling now and then. It's mostly a guerrilla war. Above is an image from the hospital in Point Pedro. As I posted before, all these images are stock photos only. I am not in them, nor do I know the people in them. They did not allow us to bring cameras or cell phones for security purposes.

The sole computer here is very slow. It took almost one hour to write this. As a hyperactive old surgeon, I cannot sit still this long with a super slow computer especially without the work I am supposed to do.

Love to everyone!