“How was it?” How in the world do I answer that question?

“How was it?”
How in the world do I answer that?

My crazy life has once again swallowed me whole. I’m back to my precious family and friends, back to my private patients and running my business, back on the road constantly for my son’s travel soccer, back to reality.

The question I am asked daily is “How was it?” Three simple words that I struggle to answer. How do I condense two weeks of a life-altering medical mission into a polite social response? The answer is… I can’t. I understand now why people say catch phrases like “It’s life changing” and “You just have to experience it yourself”. It is impossible for me to convey something so profound in a few minutes, so I end up not saying much at all. Then I feel like I’ve let people down.

Believe it or not the BIG lesson is actually very clear and concise, even though my pediatric nurse persona and my hospice nurse persona are in conflict over a few ethical questions (I’ll address those two issues in a future post). But I’m not being asked what life lesson I learned or what ethical questions were raised. People want to know “How was it?” “It” ran the emotional gamut.

There was bad…

I would be lying if I didn’t admit that it was kinda frightening. It was eerily quiet during the hartals (public strikes). But the silence was better than the loudspeaker propaganda. You didn’t have to understand the language to know that the tone was hostile and threatening. I never really felt unsafe, but the whole train/car bombing/mass protest/people being killed thing was unnerving at times.

This is what the front page of the paper looked like most days.

It didn’t give me much comfort when the hospital folks said that there was no need to worry, because the protests were going on in the front of the hospital, and we were in the back. Neither did the swarm of military helicopters I could see, or the fact that I could hear the angry shouting mob when I stepped outside the Recovery Room. We all owe a tremendous thank you to the Gulshan Lake Rotary club, the staff of the Eastern Residence Hotel, hospital security, the city police and the Bangladesh military for protecting us.

A few of our protectors.

It was heartwrenching watching families being turned away because they didn’t qualify or because they were so severe we couldn’t safely operate on them. Considering I’ve never seen a person that is unable to get medical care, it was difficult to come to terms with how their medical system works. I understand why it has to work as it does. I can not tell you the monumental respect that I have for the hospital staff, from the doctors to the cleaning ladies, that show up everyday and deal with impossible situation after impossible situation. I fully believe it would crush me. One of the local surgeons said to me, “Come here and work for 6 months and you will no longer cry.” I’ve been unabashedly crying over patients for 23 years. The day I can’t cry is the day I need to leave nursing.

EVERYTHING was recycled at Shishu including gloves and gauze.

Speaking of crying, I’m still not able to put into words having to walk away from Tonya the day before we left. I’m trying to find out what happened with her sister (the burn victim) but haven’t had any luck so far.

On to the good…

It was extraordinarily cool. How often to you get to hang out with a US Ambassador and the wonderful staffers that have dedicated their lives to bridging peace and watching over the visiting US citizens? I’ve never before been asked to a Chargé D’Affairs house for drinks. And on our last night, there was a dance troupe from New York City that happened to be performing. We were honored to be guests of the Ambassador and sit on the front row of the theater with photographers taking our pictures like we were somebody important.

Ambassador Mozena…The US Ambassador to Bangladesh.

It was bizarre feeling on display like a panda in the zoo. People would stand in front of us and stare. They were constantly taking our pictures. I had many a kid shoved at me and a picture taken before I could react. I had people walk up and touch me, my skin, my face, my hair. They didn’t worry about people’s personal space.

I gave and received a lot of hugs.

It was profound to be so readily accepted in to a country and culture so different from my own. To work side by side with people that it was difficult, if not impossible, to communicate with if there was no interpreter. To have non-cleft palate families handing me their sick babies because they believed I could some how help them. I couldn’t even explain to them my inability to help, all I could do was hug them, shake my head no, and walk away. I formed true relationships with people that I will never forget. Many of whom I call friends now.

On the ward.

Hard at work in the OR.

It was miraculous, the transformation of faces was absolutely miraculous. Somehow I ended up a small part of an incredible Alliance for Smiles team of highly skilled and amazingly humble people that selflessly dedicated two weeks of their lives to completely change the lives of these courageous children and their families. I saw children with horrible deformities look whole after surgery. The best part was that I didn’t have to leave wondering if we made a difference, because it was as plain as the beautiful new smile on their face!

Cleft palate repair. So pretty!

Now when people ask “How was it?” I still don’t have a short dramatic response to answer the question. So like everyone else, I guess I’m stuck with, “It was life changing. Everyone should experience it for themselves.” It doesn’t tell the story, but it sure is the truth.

Yesterday I Cried

Yesterday was a difficult day for me. The most difficult. This post was not easy to write.

I’ve shed tears almost every day of this mission. No surprise, that’s the norm for me. I can tear up over almost anything, but today was different. Today I cried. It was that gut wrenching, this-is-totally-unfair-and-there’s-not-a-damn-thing-I-can-do-about-it-cry. I am already a tender hearted person, but never more than when I perceive something as an injustice. I hate it when I realize, not only am I unable to save the world, I can’t even help with the situation I am facing. There is nothing more frustrating to me than feeling helpless.

One of my sweet little girls, the only one that is still here almost 2 weeks after we arrived, is Tanya.

Tanya on the right.

Tanya is not a patient. She comes to see me every day. She patiently waits until I have time to come see her. She speaks very little English. I thought she wanted nothing more than to give me hugs, hold my hand and curiously examine me. Unfortunately, I found out that this beautiful girl needed to escape the situation she was facing.

**Here is the point that I give fair warning. This is not a pretty story, and there is no happy ending ***

This much I know… Regardless of how screwed up the US healthcare system is, it is still one of the best in the world.

Tanya is at Shishu Hospital with her little sister. I’m not exactly sure how old either child is because they do not know their birth dates. Her little sister was shoved into a fire by another child. She has 3rd degree burns over approximately 40% of her body. The skin from her entire trunk, neck to groin, and thighs are burned away. In the states this type of burn can be devastating. Here it is fatal, but not immediately. They do not do skin grafts. They leave the wound open to air and the mother wipes away the dead skin with her sari. It will not heal. It is a hopeless situation. She will get an infection and she will die.

They do have a burn unit. Despite that, she has been placed in a closet outside of the unit. I have no idea why. I was taking an extra lunch over to her family, so they would have some food other than the gruel that is served each day. She had been quiet and calm the past few days. Not today. She was screaming Tanya’s name over and over. Every fiber of my being wanted to run away and not look back. I wanted to somehow drown out her voice which, I will never forget. I held myself together long enough to step in the “room,” hand over a boxed lunch, hug Tanya tightly and smile at her crying sister. I had nothing to offer, and the suffering this poor little girl was enduring absolutely broke my heart. The tears started as turned to leave. By the time I got to the break room, all I could do was continue to sob, and begin ranting to a handful of team members about the sickening unfairness of the entire situation.

The gruel that is served to patients and families.

It wasn’t until after we took a tour of the hospital that I realized, if you can’t pay for it you don’t get it. We went to the neonatal stepdown unit. In the US it would be where the premies, that are doing well, would go to feed and grow until they are big enough to go home. Here it’s where many go to die. If you can’t pay for an ICU bed, then you don’t get one. It’s as simple as that. There are no government hand outs. There are no write offs for indigent care. There are no payment plans. I then had the realization that there was a pretty good chance that Tanya’s sister was laying there in horrific pain with no pain medicine.

These are the sisters (nurses).

I took a deep breath and headed back to the burn ward. Praying the entire time, that she would not still be screaming. Mercifully she was asleep. I learned from the nurse (they are called sisters here) on the ward that she did have some pain medicine. Because of the language barrier I couldn’t tell what medication she was on. It’s probably better that I couldn’t. I’m betting it was just plain old Tylenol.

Because of the hartal and the protesters, we couldn’t leave the hospital until our Rotary hosts deemed it safe. Before I could get an interpreter to go back with me, sort out the situation, and help me find out what medicine she had, we had to quickly leave. I will go back tomorrow and see if there is anything I can do to help. Unfortunately the hospital is filled with countless situations such as this.

I ask myself, has this Alliance for Smiles mission changed me? As a nurse, not really. The care I give has been, and will always be the best that I can give, regardless of the circumstances. As a person, profoundly. The next time I start to complain about how expensive healthcare is, have to untangle an insurance billing mess, have to wait for a bit to see a doctor (have labs drawn, get an xray, etc…) or the fact that my prescriptions aren’t ready when it’s convenient for me, I will think back to this mission. I will be thankful that I was lucky enough to be born in a country that takes care of all its people, regardless of the ability or inability to pay. I will sadly think of a little girl who did nothing to deserve the horrific thing that happened to her. And I will fondly remember Tanya. A little girl, who despite all of our many differences or inability to communicate, trusted me enough to reach out for comfort.

I will never forget the day I cried. And I will hope, as I always do, that maybe, just maybe, a little something good came out of situation so senseless and tragic.

Team Bangladesh… The Players

Let me introduce a few of the players for Team Bangladesh.

David Fowler… Photographer

Fowler with one of our babies.

Here is what Fowler says about himself.

I am married to Gloria, have 5 children and 5 grandchildren. I have been a professional photographer for most of my life but was also a disc jockey for a number of years. Gloria and I owned a portrait studio in Ogallala, Ne until 2006 when we sold the business and retired.

Now, we both work part-time…Gloria as a caregiver for Home Instead Senior Care and I as a bus driver for our small city transportation system.

I am lead photographer for AfS and have been on 15 missions since my 1st to China in 2006. This is my 2nd time to Dhaka.

Here is what I say about Fowler.

There are always very few pictures of the photographer so I only have one to post. Fowler is a mess! (For those of you who aren’t from the south, a mess is a good thing.) He is a fellow Rotarian. Funny, sweet, kind and always encouraging. He reminds me so much of my dad. He’s one of those people that can make you feel like you are capable of doing anything. It obvious how much he loves his family and has shared their pictures with me. He is an excellent photographer. Fowler adds the color and with out him my stories would be dull. Thank you my friend for being my illustrator!

Dr. Sib Schepel… Plastic Surgeon

Sib hard at work.

Sib at clinic with family.

Here is what Sib says about himself.

I am a retired plastic surgeon from the Netherlands. I am an M.D. and a Ph.D.
Since my retirement I am involved in humanitairian missions for various organizations such a Rotaplast, Interplast Germany, Interplast USA, Smile Train and Rotary Doctors Netherlands.
I have participated in over 35 missions thus far in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
This is my first mission with Alliance for Smiles. I am a Rotarian since 1983. I have been married to Alice for 42 years and we have two children; our daughter Babet is a dentist and our son Wibo is an engineer with the oil company Royal Dutch Shell. We have three adorable grandchildren.

Here is what I say about Sib.

There are physicians that are technically very good and then there are sculptures. Sib is nothing short of an artist. He is the master behind 1/2 of these beautiful smiles. He takes a face which is terribly broken and within an hour or two he fixes it. The outcomes here in Bangladesh have been outstanding. Not only is he an artist, he is humble. (Believe me, not all surgeons are.) He came through the PACU and looked at a baby post op. He said, ” That work is beautiful.” He followed up with, “Oh, this is Dr. Hauge’s patient. I would not make that comment about my own work it would be bragging.” There is no need for Sib to brag. His results say it all.

Jade Brandstetter… Operating room nurse

Jade at work. Teaching the local nurses and techs how to circulate and assist.

Jade on clinic day evaluating patients.

Here is what Jade says about herself.

Nurse for 8 years.
Works at The Nebraska Medical Center.
4 years experience in OR on the general vascular transplant team.
Live in lincoln with my husband, Todd.
Just got married in August.
Enjoy spending time with family and friends.
Love doing things with my nieces and nephew.

Here is what I say about Jade.

She is the youngest member of our team. She has been to Haiti on one other mission. Jade always has a smile on her face. She is very low key, laid back, and nothing seems to stop her or bother her. Not only is she an excellent nurse, she is a patient teacher. That is clear when you watch as she works with the locals. 1/2 way through the trip, she had the Bangali OR team circulating and scrubbing in to assist the docs with the surgeries. She has been such a pleasure to work with.

Dr. Wendy Delaney… Pediatrician

I sent out an email for the team members to give me a personal/professional bio. I’m highlighting the members as they respond.

Here is what Wendy had to say.

Do I have to?? Ugh!

Here is my response and what I say about Wendy.

No girl, You don’t have to, I got you.

Wendy and Gary, the other pediatrician, consulting on all of the patients.

Wendy with a family.

Wendy is my roomy/guest blogger and a fellow Rotarian. I can tell you this about pediatricians, they do not chose that path to become rich and famous. They are underpaid and overworked. They take care of children because they truly give a damn. Wendy, like most pediatricians, has a heart of gold. To quote Forest Gump, she and I are like “peas and carrots.” If you look up the definition of ADD there will be a picture of us. We have gotten to the point we don’t even have to say much, we just know. We both have the same convoluted way of thinking. I had a very bizarre method for learning and remembering the numbers. Not many would get it and most would think I was nuts. (Admittedly that’s not far from the truth.) Wendy understood it perfectly and had the numbers down in no time with her own convoluted system.

This is Wendy’s first Alliance for Smiles mission, but she’s no stranger to serving in third world countries. She has done numerous medical missions in much worse places. She is smart, meticulous, patient, kind and tender hearted. Her profound love for her profession and her patients shows in everything she does. I count myself lucky to know her and call her my friend!

So here were just a few players for Team Bangladesh. Stay tuned, more to come…

It was a good weekend all around.

I apologize for the possible multiple posts today. I am sick, very tired and keep inadvertently posting instead of saving to draft. Here is the real post…

The weekend was a good all around. Despite the fact that many of us have been sick. The mood was definitely lighter as it was the 3rd day of no hartals and for now the hospital as well as the city is bustling with activity.

We are falling into a routine. We get up, get ready, and eat breakfast. We then pile into 3 vans and all hold our breath on the drive to the hospital. I have never seen crazier drivers. On the road are buses, vans, cars, rickshaws, motorcycles, bikes, people and the occasional animal. The rule of the road seems to be you better get out of the way if someone bigger is coming through because they are NOT going to stop. How we haven’t hit something or been hit by something I’ll never know.

Our morning precession through the hospital wards to the operating rooms is met with smiling faces, waving hands and many photographs. The security details and staff are growing accustomed to us being here and aren’t as wary as they first were. Some are even trying out a little English as we attempt to learn words in Bangala. I’ve got the numbers down but that’s about it. Communication continues to remains the biggest obstacle.

This is the open ward that most of our patients are on.

During the day surgeries are performed. 2 kids at the same time are in one room. Patients that are post op are discharged and pre op patients are seen. We continue to have walk ins, that randomly show up. They have to be seen by all disciplines and approved for surgery. There were another 8 surgeries done today bring our total up to 40!

Pics of the amazing OR team.

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PACU in action.

After all the patients are tucked in for the night, we pile back in our vans and return to the hotel, visit for a bit with each other, eat dinner and go to bed most of us exhausted.

It hasn’t been all work. We were able to go shopping on Friday. We all loaded up on gifts and mementos. (I may be in big trouble on my return baggage weight limit.) It was the first time we were able to get out of the hotel and the local Rotarians took us out to lunch.

We also got the unexpected opportunity to have drinks and appetizers at the home of the Charge D’Affairs and COO of the US embassy John Danilwicz. The US Ambassador Dan Mozena came by and hung out with us. Our hosts were gracious and everyone was glad for the distraction.

It is our understanding that the Hartels will start up again tomorrow. Who knows what the week will hold. But as for the weekend… It was good all around.

A picture is worth a thousand words!

rul

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AMAZING isn’t it.

Where do I even start?

Where do I even start?

There is no way I can do this day justice with mere words. Here is my attempt.

I’m going to assume that you all have read the starfish story. In a sentence, it’s one person making a difference to another, leading to many people making a difference to society. If you haven’t read it you should.

Today we were able to go to Shishu hospital, despite the strike, and hold clinic to determine which patients would qualify for cleft lip and/or cleft palate surgery. Shishu is a 500 bed children’s hospital and the only one in Bangladesh. To say it was different from western medical standards is a profound understatement. There is no doubt that the people who work there are doing the best that they can with what they have, which is very little. And as their humble guests we will do the same.

I could talk all day about the differences, but that is futile. I could walk away feeling frustrated and helpless. Both of which do absolutely nothing about the situation. Instead, this Pollyanna will look at the positive side.

The patient’s families speak little or no English. We are relying on a couple of interpreters, who are spread very thin. However, there are things that transcend the inability to verbally communicate…

A parent’s tears and pain… My heart breaks for those parents that came for help but there is nothing that we can do for their child. Some of these kids would be a major undertaking back home in the states. Here it is impossible, even with outstanding physicians and an excellent support team. One mom kept her baby’s face covered with a blanket. This poor little one had no real face, just bilateral clefts up to where his eyes should have been. Because of the communication barrier, all I could do was look at her baby and treat it like any other “normal” baby, hold her hand, hug her and give her a tissue to wipe away the tears.

A kind Touch… I felt much like a panda in the zoo must feel today. There is not a lot of diversity in Bangladesh. The people at the hospital would gather around, stare at us and take pictures. (I guess a pale American female is very much a novelty.) Once they realized I was not a threat they wanted to touch me. I got more hugs and sweet cheek kisses today than I ever have. As we left the hospital, I had an entourage of 3 of the most beautiful little girls. They held my hands and walked me out to our vans. It’s a surreal and polar experience to be standing between innocence and wonder (my entourage) and military/police fully armed and ready to fight.

And last but not least a SMILE… After all, that what we are here for, right? We are an Alliance for Smiles. We are giving these kids back one of the most powerful ways to communicate. I’d love to tell you that I spent the day changing the world and saving lives with my highly technical super nursing skills. I didn’t. I blew soap bubbles and watched wondrous faces as I showed them how to chase the bubbles and pop them with their hands. I held precious children in my arms while proud parents took pictures of us. I gave hugs and kisses to all, infants and grandmothers alike. I spent the day smiling and playing. Once again I found myself receiving so much more than I could ever give.

This is where I started. Not with technology, but with a genuine smile and open heart. Hoping that maybe, just maybe, one day one of my 3 little new friends will remember the kindness shown to them by an amazing group of people, become Prime Minister and unite all of Bangladesh.

Thank you Fowler for all the beautiful pictures and believing in me.

Safe and sound but mighty tired

We all arrived safely today. I’m not exactly sure how sound we are and everyone is worn out.

I’ve been unable to post until now. I wanted to let everyone know that we made it with all but one box of supplies. It was a ridiculously long journey and I’ve only had 6 hours of sleep since Friday at 5:30am. I’m not exactly coherent and I’m not even making much sense to myself.

The hartal is still going on we did see some protesters as emergency vehicles transported the team and supplies to the Hotel Eastern Residence. They are fabulous here! We received a warm welcome and a yummy meal.

We have been told that we can not leave the hotel. The team leaders are meeting with local Rotarians to make a plan and I will know more tomorrow.

On that note, I will post a couple of pictures and elaborate on our travel adventures tomorrow.

As for now, I’m glad that we have all gotten here safely and I’m going to sleep soundly, because I am mighty tired!
This is me and Wendy my roommate. At the start of the trip. No one wants to see us after we arrived!

This is the Guangzhou, China airport.

These are all of our supplies at the Dhaka airport.

Sorry if you received 2 emails. The post was there earlier and then it was gone. 😦

And the Oscar goes to….

And the Oscar goes to….

No one wins an Oscar on their own. Most recipients have a well thought out speech to thank all of those who helped them get where they are. So here is mine. I’m thankful that I can do this sitting on the sofa in pajamas, without fear of tripping and falling in front of millions.

There is a great line in Christmas Vacation where Clark says in reference to cousin Eddie, ” My cousin in-law, whose heart is bigger than his brain…” That phrase can be used to describe me on occasion. Our Rotary District Governor, Margie Eddy-Forbes, spoke to us last fall about Alliance for Smiles and the world service project. This project is close to her heart and you can tell that when she talks about it. I cornered her after she was finished and told her I really wanted to be a part of this project. She gave me the info and encouraged me to apply.

I assumed that when one is crazy enough to spontaneously volunteer to go to Bangladesh for 2 weeks, they simply say “Come on we’d love to have ya!” This is not the case. I didn’t consider that the volunteer pool would be world wide. The application process was more grueling than any job I’ve ever applied for. Thank goodness I had Tina Hollcroft, mission director, and Barbara Fisher, quartermaster, in my corner. Without them I don’t know that I would have even been considered. Even then I had a few obstacles to overcome.

First, my Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support certifications had expired. I told AFS that I would get my certification within 2 weeks. Recertification online was going to cost me $500 out of pocket. I contacted my friend, paramedic/ACLS instructor, Brian Irish to borrow his books. He kindly offered for me to recertify with the fine folks at Redmond EMS in Summerville, GA. Not only was I PALS and ACLS certified 2 days later, he didn’t charge me a dime.

Second, did I mention that I was applying for the position of recovery room nurse and I’ve never technically worked in a recovery room? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve recovered a ton of kids post operatively but they all came directly back to the Pediatric ICU. This is where our outstanding local hospital, Cartersville Medical Center, came to the rescue. They graciously allowed me to come observe for a few days in their recovery room. So, to April and her amazing team of nurses… Thank you for showing me how it’s done in a real recovery room. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to learn from!

I owe a HUGE thank you to the dedicated folks at Alliance for Smiles. You had faith and accepted me despite my short comings. I will not let you down. Please check out the alliance for smiles website at: http://www.allianceforsmiles.org.

I also need to thank Georgia Bone and Joint and Mark Ellis with Physician Sales and Service for donating desperately needed and expensive anesthesia supplies. You guys are awesome!

To Monir, my sweet new friend from Bangladesh, thank you for answering all of my questions, educating me about your beautiful country and hooking me up with Ishana, who will be there to help me when I arrive.

To Randi Sonenshine, you are an excellent editor, especially considering what you have to work with. You make me appear to be a decent writer and have taught me more in a week than I learned in years of school. I realize I am much better with comas than I am with commas.

I couldn’t do this without the support of my incredible friends, who love me as is and don’t ask me to change, all the Rotarians who have played a role, and countless others who wish to remain unnamed. (You know who you are!)

And last but not least, thank you to my family. To my sister, thanks for the tech support. You will make an incredible RN. To my son, thank you for the endless hugs and always making me smile. You have taught me through years of soccer, about giving 110% and being a team player. To my daughter, who is my role model, you make me believe every day that I can do anything I put my mind to. You are amazing. To my husband/ assistant editor, I love you. Thank you for always being there, holding down the fort while I’m on the other side of the world, putting up with me constantly multitasking, and keeping me around for 28 years. You have given me a wonderful life.

The one thing I haven’t mentioned is that I already have an Oscar. My Dad Oscar Leverette. He’s much better than the little gold statue. To my dad and mom, thank you both for teaching me the importance of giving back. You have shown me a lifetime of examples on how to do just that. I love you!

Thank you world!

In 48 hours I had 900 followers in 7 countries and 1200 views. This response completely blows me away. I am shocked, humbled, and profoundly grateful for all of you. In this world, where we are bombarded with endless negativity, it is inspirational to know that so many people care. I thank you for your time, your kind words and your continued support.

This is all Barbara’s fault!

This is all Barbara’s fault!

We moved to Cartersville in 2004. That’s when I met one of my dear friends Barbara. She and I have been running together for almost 10 years. Every Tuesday she would start earlier, most of the time without me. 5:30am was already WAY earlier than I wanted to be up, but she had to get to Rotary by 7:30am.

Let’s face it, when anyone mentions Rotary the first thing that comes to mind is a bunch of stuffy old business men, in starched suits, sitting around listening to a monotone speaker and discussing all the rigid rules of Rotary. And heaven help you if you missed a meeting! I was convinced there was a secret Rotary dungeon where they would tie you to a post and beat you if you were unable to attend.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The top reasons people join Rotary are…

1. Business Development (This should be last, in my opinion.)
2. Friendship
3. Citizenship
4. Service

I was a hospice nurse working sometimes 60 hours a week when I broke down and attended my first meeting. It seemed like the thing to do, and if Barb was a part of it…surely it couldn’t be all that bad. Not only was it not that bad, it was life changing.

I hate stereotypes, so let me dispel a few myths.

1. No stuffy old men. My club’s members range in age from 20s to 60s.

2. You are not required to wear a starched suit. In fact, you can actually wear jeans. I frequently show up in scrubs when I’m seeing patients.

3. No monotone speakers. Members rotate bringing speakers. Not only are they not dull, they are informative, interesting and entertaining. We even had a hypnotist speak to us not long ago.

4. There are rules. There always are. But the 4 Way Pledge of the things we think, say or do is more like the golden rule and very simple: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Trust me, if everyone lived by these rules, the world would be a much better place!

5. There are no dungeons. In fact you CAN miss a meeting. All you have to do is make it up by attending another Rotary club, reading informative articles online or performing service activities. I figure 2 weeks in Bangladesh gives me make-ups for life!

So here I am 2 years later, proud to call myself a Rotarian. I give my time to Rotary. I sit on the Board. I show up (most) Tuesdays. I attend the functions. I spontaneously volunteer to go on a 2 week medical mission trip to Bangladesh. Why, you ask?

1. I have established the most incredible friendships that will last a lifetime. My friends are precious to me, and I don’t know what I would do without them.

2. Rotary has given me the chance to become a participating member of my community.

3. Now I truly have the opportunity to “fix things” on a local, state, national and WORLD level!

4. Without the support, help and advice of many members I would have never had the guts to go out on a limb and start my own patient advocacy business.

The simple truth is this: Rotary, and the amazing people in Rotary, give me far more than I could ever give back.

So this is clearly all Barbara’s fault! I can’t thank her enough. And in the next few weeks, I CAN NOT WAIT to see how Rotary will continue to change my life.