Sunday, October 31, 2010

An International Healing Parable

The world was transfixed by the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners.  CNN covered the story and many of us stayed up to see to the end.  This last week, NOVA, told an hour long story that was more than just the final extraction of the miners.   It was a story of faith, hope, prayer, perserverance of not just the miners and their families, but also of those who drilled.   In a commentary/interview on the PBS Newshour, one of those drillers, Greg Hall, was asked about the impact on his faith.  He closes with a quote from another driller colleague who said, "Greg, you know something? That job was impossible. You could not drill that. God drilled that hole."

Emergency Mine Rescue
PBS Newshour Interview

Saturday, October 2, 2010

"Healer" by Carol Cassella

Sometimes the context of reading a book complements what you read and begin to understand.

I just finished reading Carol Cassella second novel while working in Spokane, Washington. Besides good writing, she is a very thoughtful physician who works in Seattle, Washington. Her concerns in this novel are many of the same concerns that I have tried to address in "Healing Agents: Chrisitian Perspectives".

Since arriving in Spokane, I have been in the process of learning about the health, cultures and the geography of eastern Washington. It is a fascinating place and if you read the novel you will learn about this wonderful place. One shared concern is how healthcare is delivered in rural areas and the critical role nurses, physicians and small hospitals respond in these isolated environments.

The protagonist is forced to rediscover her calling and learns from some wonderful mentors. Her husband is forced to understand the limits of the scientific paradigm and the business model. What is amazing is that somehow their marriage survives their realities.

This book is a good representation of the reality that medicine is facing.

Marvin