MOUNTAIN PASS
MOUNTAIN PASS
The storm over the pass was relentless. Though I had passed this way many times since I moved to San Luis, in Southern Colorado, this trip was different. The weather report indicated heavy snow later in the evening. So, we decided to pass our dinner stop and get over La Veta Pass (elevation 9,413 ft.) before the storm hit.
We were returning from a medical conference over the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend in Denver. With me were two friends, R.T. & O.B., doctors from the hospital in Alamosa.
We started into the mountains at dusk. As we climbed toward the pass, the snow increased and the wind began howling, and pushing us sideways on the slippery road. Our headlights reflecting from the falling snow were mesmerizing, and our progress slowed to around 20 miles per hour. We estimated three hours to make the 50-mile trip over the pass. We were the only car on the road.
Once we negotiated the pass, the road turned downhill and became more slippery. A few miles later, we saw a car ahead that appeared to have stopped. As we closed in, an arm waved us to stop. We slowed alongside to see five elderly ladies, on the verge of hysteria. They asked if we knew of any hotels nearby.
“The nearest hotel is still sixty miles ahead, ma’am,” I said, concerned. There was clear panic in their eyes as the driver said, “We can’t continue; we have a lady with a heart condition and I am having a hard time driving. Can you help us?”
We introduced ourselves and inquired about the lady’s heart condition. After some discussion, I offered to drive their car while a couple of them rode in our van. Everyone gratefully agreed, and we made the switch. Since we were in a van, we transferred the lady with the heart condition and had her lie down. R.T. examined her, listened to her heart, and checked her vitals. All seemed OK, and it was concluded that the stressful condition had caused her anxiety and light palpitations.
She had taken her medication, so by making her comfortable and having two doctors in the car with her, she seemed to relax, and we continued down the mountain slowly.
The incident reminded me of a bit of history told at the conference. It seemed that February was the month that French physician René Laennec was born, in 1781. He is known to be the physician who developed the stethoscope.
Though Laennec’s invention was not accepted for over a century, still, it is one of the most universally useful tools in our collection of devices today. It sure came in handy that night.
Once we reached Ft Garland, in the San Luis Valley, the snow had eased and the road was clearer. We found that the reason there were no other cars on the pass was because the State Police had closed the pass. We talked to the police and they agreed to escort the ladies to a hotel in Alamosa. I had left my car at the gas station there, so I said goodnight and drove home.
It was an unforgettable night, but it seemed that the angels were watching over us all.
Reza Ghadimi
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Excerpts from my book; Practicing From The Heart in the age of technology.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
One interesting thing about politics is that you never know whom you meet or when someone you know becomes truly important and famous. When I served on the New Mexico Medical Board, we routinely attended the Federation of the State Medical Boards annual meetings. There we met and worked with representatives from other states and even countries. One such lady I had the honor to meet was Doctor Regina Benjamin from the Alabama Medical Board. Dr. Benjamin's history is most fascinating and enlightening. Born in Mobile, Alabama, to a poor family, she had her share of tests and trials. In 1984, she was the first from her family to receive an M.D. She then worked as a clinician serving the fishing community of Bayou La Batre.
Dr. Benjamin became a true leader and was the first African-American woman and the first physician under age 40 to be elected to the American Medical Association's (AMA) board of trustees in 1995. She followed years later in 2002 with another big achievement, becoming the first black woman to lead a state-based medical society as president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. And still yet an even bigger achievement as the first African-American female physician to get appointed The U.S. 18th Surgeon General in 2009 - appointed by President Barack Obama.
Dr. Benjamin is now back at her La Batre clinic doing what she loves. Over the length of her career, she has received many honorary degrees and awards, including the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights and the National Caring Award. So, in this Black History Month, we take this opportunity to salute her and all African-American (and indeed all people of color) physicians, nurses, and healthcare providers whose contribution cannot be overlooked or forgotten. Thank you!
African-Americans’ role covers many aspects of our history. Most are not mentioned in any of our history books but should be memorialized as their contributions are as significant as those of any white person. Writers like Festus Claudius “Claude” McKay (Sept. 15, 1889 - May 22, 1948), a Jamaican writer and poet who was a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance, and Gayl Jones (born Nov. 23, 1949), author of novels: Corregidora, Eva's Man, and The Healing.
And my favorite, Bessie Coleman (Jan. 26, 1892 – April 30, 1926) the first Black and Native American (her father was of Cherokee ancestry and her mother was African American) female pilot.
Many more like Mae Jemison (10/17/1956), the first Black female astronaut, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Miriam Mann, whose contribution to computer sciences cannot be overstated (The movie; Hidden Figures, is all about them. Watch it on Amazon).
We salute them all!
Reza Ghadimi
FEBRUARY'S INTENTION
February's intention
Is to keep the world in retention
To make us all rejuvenate
While all sleep and recuperate.
Makes you be in awe.
Sleep, as we sleep
Dream, as we dream
Of the sickle moon
And gardens in June
Makes you question all.
The beauty of life
Awaits in peace or strife
After a calm, rain, or a storm
To bring anew, a rebirth and reform
Makes you marvel how
After the cold February nights
Behold the passion
Passion of spring
Spring of nature's renewal
Renewal of all that is tender
Tenderness of all that is warm
Warmth of all that will return
Return of the time of harvest
Harvest of all our labor
For nature will renew all.
Wonder not!
Reza Ghadimi
BREWING A POT OF HOPE
BREWING A POT OF HOPE
In these times of uncertainties
Brewing hope can be challenging
Begin by heating two cups of water of life
Heat to the warmth of the heart
Now pour in a cup of prayer to keep
Evil at bay, just in case.
In a separate pan
Blend four tablespoons of gratitude with
Oil of peace, slice a clove of kindness, add
Some chopped roots of earth’s blessing
With a pinch of prosperity
Brown to harmony, and set aside.
Mix a cup of fortitude cream with
Grated cheese of understanding
Stir well
Add to the water, let it simmer till it smells of satisfaction.
Finally, combine all ingredients on low heat of patience
From the herb garden of serenity, pick morsels of
Happiness, smile, love, some golden petals of contentment
Sprinkle upon your pot of hope, and serve it hot.
Reza Ghadimi
LIVE WITH LITTLE, LIVE RICHLY!
LIVE WITH LITTLE, LIVE RICHLY!
“I like shopping here,” said a man at a Dollar Store, “it’s the only place I feel rich.”
We all laughed and shook our heads affirmatively. The more I thought about that statement later, the more the absurd reality of it hit home. For wealth, like most things, is relative.
Relativity of status in life can be confusing, humorous, or downright disappointing. Traveling in a (fairly) poor country, I was going to a neighboring town. At the train station, the ticket agent asked, “General or first class?” The trip was to be about two hours long, so I purchased a general ticket. A sign on the platform indicated GENERAL, and another further down, FIRST CLASS. I entered and found myself in a car with lots of cargo and people sitting on their belongings or the floor next to their livestock - goats, sheep, pigs, etc. Thinking that I was obviously in the wrong area, I moved to the next car which was less crowded and had wooden benches. Once on the way, the conductor came by to check our tickets. When I showed him my ticket, he said that I had tickets for general area, and this was first class.
Astounded, I asked, “How is this first class?”
“It has seats!” was his answer with finality.
On a weekend hike through the mountains, once, I met a young couple carrying enormous backpacks. “How long are you going for?” I asked. “Oh, just the weekend,” was their response. On my return the next day, I saw that they had camped not far from where I met them the day before. The burden of their packs had made them miss the part of nature they had come to see further down the trail. They had so much stuff for just in case, that they never reached the in case.
In contrast, I once met a girl on the train to Malaga, Spain. Her backpack was light and small. She had been traveling for the last two years through Europe and was on her way to Morocco and a year of exploring North Africa. She was a travel writer and told many stories of her adventures. “Sometimes, I need to move quickly,” she said to my comment about her light pack. “Like the time I got off the train in Athens to find myself amidst their civil unrest in 1973.”
“I carry three days’ change of clothing,” she continued, “food and snacks to last me two days, camera and my writing stuff. I keep the weight of my pack under 25 lbs.”
Life has become ever more unpredictable. Contrary to expectations, the twenty-first century seems to be at the cusp of historical and natural upheavals and transformation. Keeping light would be the prudent thing to do these days! Still, one can live richly even with little.
Reza Ghadimi