Tuesday March 28

     This was quite a day !! At the end of chart rounds with the surgical residents and faculty, Santiago told them all it was my birthday so they serenaded me with the Liberian version of "Happy Birthday". We went off to the OT and did a few cases before lunchtime when the OT staff surprised me with a cake and pizza for lunch; they also sang to me !! Then Aaron and I did a skin graft on the leg a 15 year old boy who had survived necrotizing fasciitis, and that was our last case of this trip. The final tally isn't in yet, but we believe we did 50 cases in 9 days of operating; that's pretty good production.
      We went back to the hotel to shower, and then at 8 pm we went to the roof of our hotel for a party. There were about 20 people there from JFK as well as Masmina and Clara, and it was a wonderful time. Certainly the highlight was the arrival of Madame President who stopped in to extend her greetings; to say I was taken aback would be a huge understatement ! It was really very cool: she asked me to introduce the members of our team which I did, and then I had the opportunity to introduce her to Dr. Gbozee, Casell, and Clark  who as surgical residents are the future of Liberian medicine. They all said later that it was incredible honor for them to meet her; I'm glad that my birthday provided the occasion. We then had a delicious dinner with cake and champagne for dessert, followed by brief remarks by a number of guests including myself several times lol. It was really quite a fantastic evening, and a most memorable birthday indeed !
      I was deeply honored by the very kind words spoken about the work we have done at JFK, but that work would mean little without the strong efforts by the friends who gathered to celebrate with me. They talked about the mentoring, and the experience that Santiago, Jonathan Laryea, and I have brought to the surgical residents, but it would mean little without the sustained education provided by Dr. Atem and the other members of the faculty. It was an honor to introduce the tall man from Sudan to Madame President, and to acknowledge his very important role in the development and education of the residents. Similarly, the work of so many people in helping to organize and facilitate our trips cannot be ignored. Everyone at JFK, from Dr.Macdonald and Dr. Johnson on down the ladder, has played a key role in making our visits as productive as possible. People praised my commitment to HEARTT and Liberia, but it never would have happened without the strong support of the people who surrounded me on the roof of the Murex Hotel.