My brother
My brother and his lovely girlfriend are both doctors. They're spending the summer doing doctorly work in Haiti and Megan sent some photos today. This one is of my brother at work in the clinic. They're also both spending some time each week learning Creole and playing with orphans at the Kai Mira orphanage that is associated with their program. (Megan writes that my brother, true to form, is very popular with the kids because he's so fun to play with... and that he sprained his ankle playing soccer with them.)
I'm so proud of my brother and Megan for going into medicine in the first place (with an eye to providing medical care for the poor and vulnerable) and for doing this kind of work in Haiti, which has so constantly been in need.
When I told my friends about what my brother was up to this summer, one friend shared her family connection to the effort to provide medical care in Haiti, too. Her husband's aunt was married to Larry Mellon, who (inspired by Albert Schweitzer's work in Gabon) decided in his late 30s to go to medical school, became a doctor at the age of 44 and founded Hospital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti in 1956. His aunt Gwen became a medical assistant and worked beside her husband there.
Dr. Paul Farmer (about whom the book Mountains Beyond Mountains was written) is of a similar mind as Larry Mellon and he, too, went to Haiti looking to provide medical care to some of the world's poorest. He co-founded Partners in Health, which began work in Haiti and has since grown to become a worldwide health organization. After working with the Haitian people and witnessing the 2004 coup d'etat Farmer also went on to co-found the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. Farmer is speaking at the University of Washington later this month and I plan to attend his lecture.
Chad and Megan will be back from Haiti in about 8 more weeks but I'm sure this experience will stay with them much longer than that. Did I mention how proud of them I am?
I'm so proud of my brother and Megan for going into medicine in the first place (with an eye to providing medical care for the poor and vulnerable) and for doing this kind of work in Haiti, which has so constantly been in need.
When I told my friends about what my brother was up to this summer, one friend shared her family connection to the effort to provide medical care in Haiti, too. Her husband's aunt was married to Larry Mellon, who (inspired by Albert Schweitzer's work in Gabon) decided in his late 30s to go to medical school, became a doctor at the age of 44 and founded Hospital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti in 1956. His aunt Gwen became a medical assistant and worked beside her husband there.
Dr. Paul Farmer (about whom the book Mountains Beyond Mountains was written) is of a similar mind as Larry Mellon and he, too, went to Haiti looking to provide medical care to some of the world's poorest. He co-founded Partners in Health, which began work in Haiti and has since grown to become a worldwide health organization. After working with the Haitian people and witnessing the 2004 coup d'etat Farmer also went on to co-found the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. Farmer is speaking at the University of Washington later this month and I plan to attend his lecture.
Chad and Megan will be back from Haiti in about 8 more weeks but I'm sure this experience will stay with them much longer than that. Did I mention how proud of them I am?
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