Face of Opportunity Entry: Confronting Type-2 Diabetes in 21st Century

A colleague and friend of mine (and contributor to Heart of a Lion, Hands of a Woman) is trying to create the opportunity to build an educational medical community in her native Zimbabwe.  Please support her noble cause by voting for her submission!  She and I and many others thank you.
Face of Opportunity Entry: Confronting Type-2 Diabetes in 21st Century

Cholera in Zimbabwe

Winning with WINS

Just back from our neurosurgery meeting in Philadelphia.  The big news was our first every paperless meeting-everything was loaded onto an iTouch and I thought it was great and dug the "green" concept.  As usual, the highlight of the meeting was seeing my good friends and colleagues-particularly the women who have served as my close network for more than 25 years.

This year, WINS (Women in Neurosurgery) hosted Dr. Mary Sue Coleman, President of University Michigan who gave an inspiring talk on why diversity matters in college and beyond.  She has long been a proponent of this concept, being a driving force in her University taking affirmative action all the way to the Supreme Court.  What was most impressive, however, was how she used this theme as a foundation but then carefully and specifically related it to neurosurgery.  She also echoed the theme of Dr. Karin Muraszko's essay in Heart of a Lion, Hands of  Woman: What Women Neurosurgeons Do in stressing It Matters!!! 

Drs. Lauren Schwartz  and Susan Hemley

Drs. Ko, Nelson, Mazzolla and Zusman

Congratulations to all those involved in making this such an inspiring event.

Members and guests

Oustanding Art II

I love this picture because this woman seems so comfortable, so completely sanguine.  It makes me feel peaceful. I appreciate the animal because it has such a human feel while not divorcing the true animal.  I also adore the artist.  Shelly Timmons is a neurosurgeon with so much talent-as a surgeon, thinker, organizer, motivator, educator and then I find out...as an artist and writer.  No surprise she is also active outside neurosurgery as well (mother, wife, etc).  It has been such an honor to get to know this remarkable woman, to work closely with her within organized neurosurgery, and to be able to showcase her "other talents" in our book. I hope her art brings joy to others as it has to me.

Medical Challenge: Colleagues as Patients

He is young, has lovely children, and both he and his wife work with me on a regular basis so when I got the call on my way back from vacation, I didn't hesitate to do a reverse " house call".  He arrived MRI in hand and I looked in astonishment as this muscular, fit man and tried to make it a cohesive picture.  He did have minimal signs of myelopathy so I knew something had to be done.
I spent a long time with him and his wife-I tried in vain to have them see a second opinion (and choose them over me).  For me the surgery was a 9 on a scale of 10 in terms of difficulty, 8 out of 10 in chances of complications (many agonizing) with the added stress of knowing him so well and working with him every day.
I was touched by their trust.
Surgery went great! Complete decompression, benign tumor, no deficits...went home after just a few days.

Then the trouble began-not unexpectedly, the patient developed a CSF leak, very hard to manage.  Given the location of the tumor and the large defect in the dura laterally, a seal was impossible.  First time I patched and glued.  Second time I did lumbar drain.  Third time I did double patch, double glue, muscle graft and simultaneous lumbar drain.  Finally I put permanent lumbar drain in.  I think he may finally be over the hump.  If so, he will be able to return to work soon-I will see him, smile inwardly at his unwavering trust but still wonder if next time, I will insist close colleagues get care further afield.

Neurosurgeon, Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Blogger

Sometimes, the many personas in which we function need to stand up and be counted simultaneously! Such it has been for me this week. In the space of just 7 short days, I packed up my office (I am moving from small partnership to multispecialty group), visited my parents (they would cringe if I described them in anyway as older but they are 76 and 72) and two sisters for the first time in many moons, spent a long day with my sophomore daughter at her college, and driven back to begin a weeks vacation with my husband of nearly 23 years.
Now as for blogger-I don't actually yet allow myself to carry that title but I am hopeful. I started this blog as an offshoot of the book, Heart of a Lion, Hands of Woman: What Women Neurosurgeons Do without a really good concept of what it all meant. I initially hoped that it would provide a forum for continued musings about the content, reader feedback on the book, etc. Slowly, slowly, slowly (I am 50 now and while not adverse to new technology by any means, I don't "get it" as quickly as in earlier years) I am realizing my role as blogger-and for that I give thanks to a colleague I met exclusively through a professional social network site who opened my eyes (thanks).

Some thoughts from my schizophrenic week:

• I will miss my loyal staff, especially those that followed me through many phases of my growing career. I know I could not accomplish what I have professionally without their expertise and support.
• It is far better to create time with my parents outside the "family gatherings" and I need to make sure I do it regularly, they do not defy the rule that with life comes age.
• Ditto for siblings-maybe even more so.
• It is a great challenge to morph your parental relationship into a mutual adult relationship with your maturing daughter-but clearly worth all the effort it takes!
• I still love my husband dearly and amaze at his ability to make be smile with a few insightful words.
• Blogging-a new world, not the first brave leap I have taken, part of my drive to never be standing still.

Blog Start up

After receiving some endearing notes from many of the authors of Heart of a Lion, Hands of a Woman:What Women Neurosurgeons Do, I was inspired to start a blog to allow all of the authors to hear what other authors were saying. I was also touched by a piece int he book that stated that there were no neurosurgeryMom websites to go to...so now there is. This site is for all women neurosurgeons-past, present, and future-all around the world.

I have visions that this site may allow parents of women neurosurgeons to comment on how they feel about their amazing daughters or how spouses, significant others, friends, siblings, or offspring view the pioneering women that we all are.

I would like to share just one touching story: I was recently at the University of Pittsburgh visiting my youngest (I can hardly call my 6"2", 240 pound son my baby, now can I?) at out first college "Parent's Weekend". My husband and I sat high up at Heinz field with Daniel and his friends watching Division I football on a glorious Saturday. In rapid succession, the Pitt Panthers scored a go ahead touchdown (they won the game) and I received a lovely e-mail from book contributors from both Chile and Iran. What a spectacular confluence of my professional and personal life!

I would love to hear your stories, see your pictures, meet those who have helped make your success possible.