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!

Building a Team

Hello everybody!

Well, it happened again. I went to the airport at four in the morning and I had to go back to the hotel. This is the third time. Still being stuck doesn't mean there isn't movement forward. The team is building right here in Colombo and I'm meeting a lot of new people from all over the world. A new ER physician and the head of the mission for Point Pedro have arrived. Both are from England. Two of the point people in Colombo are from France. We have an anesthesiologist from New Zealand and a supervisor from Germany. An outgoing surgeon is Greek and we have several local staff. It's not easy to build a team and the more I get to know these remarkable individuals, the more I respect them.
Miss you all!

Still Stuck and Waiting

Hello everybody!

I'm still in Colombo. It has been raining for four days straight, yet they say it's not the rainy season. If this is not the rainy season, I can't imagine what is and I'm glad I'm not in it.

I think I can guess why the UN transport isn't taking off although I'm not supposed to know why. According to the newspapers, a big battle is being waged on the road to Point Pedra. No one can cross the line via land transport, all communications and transport is via air. Point Pedro itself is supposed to be secure and safe though.

Looks like I'm going to be stuck here all weekend as food for the mosquitoes. No matter how much stuff I rub or spray on they are still feasting. I'm being eaten alive! No one will be in the office all weekend so I decided to move into a nice hotel.

Rumor has it that on Monday morning I will be able to go to Point Pedra.

My love to everyone.

September 4, 2008

To the left is a street scene in Colombo.
I am still waiting for clearance on the UN transport from hot, muggy Colombo. The weather has not grown on me yet! My mind keeps going back to the two sunrises I saw on the two day trip from New York to Colombo (see my August 31 post below for greater details). Two gorgeous sunrises in twenty-four hours.

September 3, 2008

Hello everyone!

This morning I went to the airport very early. The United Nations flight was canceled. So I

am stuck here another day in Colombo. I hope the OR is there when I finally get to Point Pedro.

September 2, 2008

I am scheduled to take a 5:30AM flight to Point Pedro tomorrow. I'll soon be seeing my OR. Here's to hoping the nurses are as great as in the OR in Oregon, Ohio.

Here is an image of some Sri Lankan boys. Unfortunately, I cannot send you photos I have taken. I do not have a cell phone or a camera. Security is so tight, MSF recommended we bring nothing. All the images I am posting are stock photos. I'll do it the old fashioned way and paint stories with words, when I come home, because the single slow computer we have here won't give me enough time.

August 31, 2008

I just arrived in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. The trip was not easy as I have been on the road for two days straight. I spent two whole nights on an airplane in 24 hours! I left

New York at 5PM and ended up in Frankfurt in the morning. I left Frankfurt in afternoon and landed in Colombo at sunrise. Two sunrises in 24 hours- beautiful and tiring!

We only have one computer here and it is rather slow. I don't like to take too much time from other people, so my posts might be short. The image to the right is Sri Lanka's flag.

And he's off... From August 28, 2008

It's Thursday, August 28, 2008. It is my 40th wedding anniversary. Rather than staying at home to celebrate it with my beautiful wife in quiet retirement, I'm on an airplane headed to New York where I will debrief with Doctors Without Borders. I am on my way to Sri Lanka.

Amjad, you were right. I can't stay still.

For those of you who haven't heard of it, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an NGO committed to going into crisis areas to provide medical attention to those who need it. For more information go to http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/.

My destination is Point Pedro, Sri Lanka. Now, I know 'Point Pedro' doesn't sound anything like Sinhalese and Tamil words. However, Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, was colonized by Portugal at one time; hence the name.

There has been an on-and-off civil war between the Tamil Tigers, a separatist military group, and the government for the past twenty-five years. Imagine, a whole generation! They need help, medical attention in particular and badly. I welcome you to my blog. I'll keep you all apprised of my activity and situation here. I miss you all!