3PM: We have just passed over Marrakesh, Morocco on our way to Monrovia; in 3 hours we will stop in Freetown, Sierra Leone and from there it is another hour flight to our destination. Traveling with me is Dr. Dan Slack, a PGY-3 surgery resident from Waterbury Hospital; the others members of our team will arrive later tonight on a different flight, and they include Dr. Jonathan Laryea, stalwart colleague on these September trips; Dr. Chandra Joshi, an anesthesiologist from UMass who has come to Liberia with us several times in the past; Dr. Michael Lucente, a PGY-3 anesthesia resident at UMass; and Dr. Adamah Sirleaf. Adamah is an ED physician in Georgia who, among many things, started HEARTT in 2005 and invited me to come to Liberia the first time in 2010; it is his vision and drive that has kept HEARTT going for 13 years. HIs mother, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, remains a strong force for change in Africa and the world after completing two terms as the democratically elected leader of the Republic of Liberia.
As we were standing in line to board this flight in Brussels, a young women right in front of us turned and said :”Dr. Knight?” It turns our that she is an ultrasonographer at JFK, and recognized me! We had a wonderful conversation about the changes we can expect to see at JFK; I’m quite excited about that ! Masmina Sirleaf, the Executive Director of HEARTT who lives in Monrovia, messaged me as we were boarding this flight to say that everything appears to be organized and under control for our visit; it being Liberia, we will keep our fingers crossed !
11:47PM: Now we are settled in the hotel and I’m ready for sleep. The flight from Brussels was uneventful; we arrived, and our bags arrived, and there was someone there to pick us up just like Masmina said there would be! We are staying at the Murex Plaza Hotel again, and I’m happy about that. Many staff greeted me warmly, and it really is like coming home. Dan and I had dinner, and then went to bed; theater group arrived around 11:15 I think.
Tomorrow will likely be a busy day. I’m excited to get started on the work of this trip, and really excited to see what changes have occurred at JFK since March !
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