The time on this trip is flying by ! We had a busy day on Wednesday doing cases, and then Wednesday night we went to the Mamba Point Hotel to meet Masmina and the Cummings for a dinner of sushi. It was was great as usual !! Alex and Teresa Cummings were so gracious as usual. It's hard to imagine sometimes that Alex, having had a successful career in business, was willing to come back to his native Liberia to enter politics and run for President. I know that all over the world politics is a blood sport, not for the weak or just partially interested. Politics in Liberia seems to be especially bloodthirsty with parties willing to do whatever they can to destroy their opponents. It seems especially unfair for opponents to accuse Alex of having ulterior motives when it is so clear that he is running for President because he has the knowledge and skill to raise the country up, We shall see what happens in October 2023,
Today was out last day of operating on this trip. Tomorrow we fly out at 8:30pm, but Masmina has advised us that we need to leave for the airport early because the only road to the airport is under reconstruction, and there will be a lot of traffic on Friday afternoon. So to avoid problems we will not operate tomorrow, and leave for the airport early. Today we had another active day doing 13 operations, leading to a total of 103 surgeries on this trip. We averaged 10 operations a day, and that is a great accomplishment due to the work of our team as well as the incredible work of the OR staff. It still amazes me the way the OR staff steps up during our visits to get things done. They love the fact that they are pitching in to help their fellow Liberians receive the care they need.
Tonight we had our usual farewell dinner on the rooftop terrace at the Murex, and as usual it as an amazing feast. Many wonderful Lebanese foods as well as freshly caught marlin sushi and an incredible cooked barracuda.
As we end this trip, I am especially proud that with each trip we have introduced young surgical residents to a world and a practice of surgery that is different from anything they have ever experienced before. I'm honored to have been able to play a part in introducing them to an experience that is new for most of them, and which they will remember forever. Needless to say, none of this could have been accomplished with the support and assistance of a great number of people. Some have been previously mentioned in this blog, and many others have helped behind the scenes. To all of you, my sincere thanks for helping this dream become reality.
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