A Locum’s ScrapBook: Moving Forward & Remembering the Past… 911

Editor’s Note:

To view the entire “Locum’s ScrapBook” series- click here

My life is Family First and then Perfusion.  I switched from staff perfusionist to becoming a Locum’s traveler to make sure my kids and family would have a solid place to call home.  I travel because it puts me in charge of my life, it is challenging, and I enjoy learning new techniques, other ways of doing things, as well as getting exposure to alternate approaches and paradigms.

So I took my show on the road.  As such, every once in awhile I will be dropping a few notes and pictures of places visited, and observations made.  In a sense, the beginning of a scrap book on Open Heart Surgery in America (and other places if possible).”

Enjoy 🙂

Frank

Moving Forward & Remembering the Past… 911

Just finished up a case- odd how empty the room looks after the fact…  It was a long day.

I walked away from this…

As I walked out of this newest of new hospitals- a place I had pumped at 3 years before- but this time had morphed into what basically could be considered Hospital #51.

So I walked downstairs and saw this…

And then I turned the corner to see this as well…

And I recalled that exactly 17 years ago, I was down in Birmingham Alabama, demonstrating a cardiac database and seeing relatives.  On my way to the second day of presentations- I heard the news that “the White House” had been evacuated, and I knew we had a serious problem.  I immediately canceled my day- went to an ATM to pull out $500 travel cash- and went to my relatives to watch the terrible scenes all over the news.

We drove home to Michigan the following Thursday, and it was so bleak, as we drove up I65 through Louisville, Indianapolis, and past Chicago- it was grey skies- empty of even birds and NOT A SINGLEPLANE was in the air- as our entire Nation’s commercial and private fleets of aircraft were grounded for 3 days.

We all bought our flags- at whatever store could keep up with the sudden demand.  Those flags on our trucks by the end of the road- and 500 miles, were tattered for sure- but they were still standin!

The entire world changed that day.  But what hasn’t changed is ME and what I do!  I love putting people on bypass- because just like the rubble we had to rebuild 17 years age- when I was doing the exact same thing- we reconstruct dreams, lives, and hope with every person that we operate on- and MEET  OUR TARGET OUTCOME !

God Bless America.

God Bless ALL OF US 🙂

Peace 🙂