Saddened

Updated 3/2017 -- all links removed (except to my own posts) as many no longer active.


This past Friday a twitter/blog friend @jabulani9 notified me that another of our twitter/blog friends @trilisakay had died the day before. 

I first began following Lisa when she blogged at The Tale of My Left Foot and more recently at Call Me Dr. Lisa.  She began the second blog as she put it (August 2009):

I have decided that The Tale of My Left Foot is done. 34 monthes ago, I had my first surgery on my ankle and 1 month later learned I had cancer. I have documented my journey, my triumphs, my failures, my fears and last weekend I completed a triathlon. So, now the "Tale" feels done. Thanks for travelling this road with me.

In January of this year she underwent a major surgery with reconstruction (a gracilis flap) when her cancer returned.  I answered some questions for her regarding the flap, etc.  I tried to encourage her as she recovered and began training again for another triathlon.  Truth is, she was encouraging to me as she remained more upbeat than not and pushed forward.  I would have loved to have known her in real life.

Her last blog post was October 26 and remains upbeat:  Taking my Training to the Pool

……I remain as committed as ever to complete my first half marathon just short of the one year anniversary of my surgery. I continue to feel incredibly fortunate to be on this journey with some of the most amazing and inspirational people I’ve ever met. I appreciate everyone’s support more than you know.

If you are so inclined you can still donate in her name to her TEAM.

Dr. Ralph Millard,

Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active. 

Dr. D. Ralph Millard (1919-2011) is known in the plastic surgery community for his contribution to improved surgical techniques for the correction of cleft palates.  He died Sunday, June 19, 2011. (photo credit)

PSNews tribute:  Plastic surgery pioneer D. Ralph Millard Jr., MD, dies at age 92
NBC Miami tribute:  Cleft Palate Pioneer Ralph Millard Laid to Rest

……He trained more than 180 young, and not so young, men and women in whom his legacy is entrusted.  The “Chief,” as he was known to his residents at the University of Miami, was an exacting task master, an elegant surgeon and a consummate teacher.  His surgical greatness cannot be denied, but his most profound legacy may be as a teacher of Plastic Surgery.  Through the gift of his text books and manuscripts he tried to pass on to all Plastic Surgeons his vision of our specialty.  ……

The Millard technique or the rotation-advancement cleft lip technique (photo credit)

Dr. Millard was a “giant” in plastic surgery who will be missed.  My condolences to his family.

REFERENCES to just a few of Millard’s articles (full bibliography)
1.  Millard DR Jr. Rotation-advancement versus Giraldes’ cleft lip technique. Plast Reconstr Surg Transplant Bull. 1961;28:595-7.
2.  Millard DR Jr. Refinements in rotation-advancement cleft lip technique. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1964;33:26-38.  (pdf file)
3.  Millard DR Jr. Rotation-advancement principle in cleft lip closure. Cleft Palate J. 1964;12:246-52.
4.  Millard DR Jr. The unilateral cleft lip nose. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1964;34:169-75.
5.  Millard DR Jr. Closure of bilateral cleft lip and elongation of columella by two operations. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1971;47(4):324-31

In Memory of Robert M Goldwyn, MD

Updated 3/2017 -- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active. and it was easier than checking each one.

I signed onto the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery website this morning to look up an article and found this tribute to Robert M. Goldwyn, MD who served as Editor-in-Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from 1979 to 2004, died on Tuesday, March 23, 2010.   I was privileged to meet him while doing my plastic surgery residency in Boston.  He and the head of my program (Dr. Gaspar Anastasi) were friends.  He was a giant in the field of plastic surgery who will be missed.

 

Please join us in remembering Dr. Goldwyn by reading his collected editorials, immortalized in the pages of PRS and gathered together in October 2004 in a special supplement.

In 2004, the supplement of editorials by Dr. Goldwyn and tributes by a few of the people who had been close to him represented a small token of appreciation. Today, the supplement will serve as an enduring tribute to a wonderful scientific journal editor, physician, role model and friend.

The supplement is complimentary and only available online at PRS.

25 Years of Selected Editorials by Robert M. Goldwyn, MD

Join PRS in the weeks and months to come for further tributes to Dr. Goldwyn.

From PRS October 2004 - Volume 114 - Issue - p v
Biographical Note:  Robert M. Goldwyn, M.D

Robert M. Goldwyn was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1930. He attended Worcester Academy, Harvard College (A.B., 1952; Phi Beta Kappa, Magna cum Laude), and Harvard Medical School (M.D., 1956).

He did his internship and residency in general surgery at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston from 1956 to 1961. During this time he was the Harvey Cushing Fellow in Surgery at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. In 1960, he worked with Dr. Albert Schweitzer in Lambarene, Gabon.

His plastic surgical training was at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center from 1961 to 1963. He returned to Harvard Medical School and became Senior Surgeon at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and at the Beth Israel Hospital, where he was Chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery from 1972 to 1996. Since 1979, he has been the Editor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and has authored or co-authored more than 300 articles and has edited several books: The Unfavorable Result in Plastic Surgery: Avoidance and Treatment (now in its third edition), Reconstructive Surgery of the Breast, Long-Term Results in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Reduction Mammaplasty.

He has written The Patient and the Plastic Surgeon (two editions) and The Operative Note, a collection of his editorials, as well as a book for the general public: Beyond Appearance: Reflections of a Plastic Surgeon. With J. Saxe as translator, he wrote an introduction to G. Baronio's Degli Innesti Animali, 1804 (On Grafting in Animals). He also wrote the introduction for the first complete English translation by J. H. Thomas of G. Tagliacozzi's De curtorum chirur-gia per insitionem, 1597 (On the Surgical Restoration of Defects by Grafting, a facsimile edition).

Dr. Goldwyn has served as President of the Massachusetts Society of Plastic Surgeons, the New England Society of Plastic Surgery, the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, which made him an Honorary Fellow, and the Harvard Medical Alumni Association.

In 1972 he founded the National Archives of Plastic Surgery, housed at Harvard Medical School, and has since served as Chairman of the Archives Committee of the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation.

He was a founding member of Physicians for Social Responsibility and has written articles on world peace, opposition to chemical and biological warfare, and medical ethics.

He has been Visiting Professor to more than 70 institutions, universities, and hospitals in this country and abroad and is an honorary member of more than a dozen national and international societies of plastic surgery. His other awards include the Dieffenbach Medal, the Honorary Kazanjian Lectureship, Clinician of the Year of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, and the Special Achievement Award and the Presidential Citation of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. He has received numerous recognitions for his teaching and writing.

 

More information on this amazing man:
Boston Globe Obituary
Leonardo’s Hand – Dr. Robert Goldwyn

For Lisette (& Yoland) -- Hope Hike 2009

 Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links removed as many are no longer active and it's easier than checking each one.

My friend Lisette who died of ovarian cancer last year is being honored by her hiking buddy Ellen Lowitz and other friends with the first (hopefully to be annual) Hope Hike 2009.  This spring another friend and colleague, Yoland Condrey-Tinker, died of ovarian cancer.  Both are missed.

The memorial hike organized by Ellen is to raise money for ovarian cancer research.  Here are the details of their flyer:

What:  Hope Hike 2009  -- “Shout It From the Mountain!” --  A Memorial Hike to Benefit Ovarian Cancer research, in memory of the life of Lisette C. Johnson, 1952-2008.

When:  Saturday, May 9, 2009.  Check in 8:00 am; Kick-off ceremony 9:00 am.  Hike ends at 2:00 pm.

Who:  Hikers, walkers, runners, cancer survivors, family, friends, loved ones, leashed pets & owners, & other supporters are invited to participate.

Where:  Pinnacle Mountain State Park.  Registration, check-in, & opening program at park’s West Summit Pavilion.

How:  Hike, walk, or run the Pinnacle Mountain trail of your choice.  Choose from 8 trails in varying lengths or be a virtual hiker.

Register:  Free 2009 registration –‘09 Hike registration fees are waived.  Donations accepted and appreciated.  Register 3 ways:  Register online; down-load the registration for, complete, and mail; or complete registration form and submit at check-in on day of hike.

For more information about how you can get involved with Hope Hike contact them at HopeHike@gmail.com or at (501) 224-0636.

For more information on ovarian cancer:

National Cancer Institute -- Ovarian Cancer Page

Center for Disease Control -- Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Organization

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms --TBTAM

Remembering 9-11-2001

Updated 3/2017--photos and all links removed as many are no longer active and it was easier than checking each one.

I found this list, via Martha Rankin (Adult Education Matters Blog). She credits Larry Ferlazzo. Larry compiled a list of helpful sites for remembering 9/11 in the ESL (English as second language) classroom. Check out these excellent resources:

Inside 9/11 is from the National Geographic. It has short video interviews, along with transcripts, of key people connected to the event, including survivors.

America’s Day Of Terror from the BBC has a lot of excellent information. In fact, it might have too much for English Language Learners, so you might want to point students to particular sections of the site.

The Cable News Network has a special page of video and audio clips related to the attack.
New York Magazine has a Photo Gallery of that day’s events.
Voice of America has a series of audio broadcasts, with text, about the 9/11 Anniversary and its effects years later.
The Biography Channel has a Profiles of 9/11 Photo Gallery.

Here are some other sites:
The White House Remembering 9-11
Remember September 11 on Seventh Anniversary of 9/11; New York City Memorial Events By Pamela Skillings, About.com
Patriot Day, Remembering September 11, 2001; US Army Website
National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center (photo from this website--"Reflecting Absence")

Memory Quilt #5

I was only asked to make three quilts from all those shirts--one for each son, but I made four so the widow would have one. Then there were all those remaining squares from the car-fabric shirt and I couldn't resist making one more using them. This time around, I limited the different shirt fabrics to only three and did a modified-nine patch. Then to make it large enough, I added some left-over (from this project) flannel that makes you think of hunting/outdoors. Besides cars, hunting was a favorite pastime of the deceased. This quilt is 48 in X 68 in.

The quilt is machine pieced and quilted. The back fabric is the Route 66 fabric. Here is a close up that show one of the patches the family wanted added to the quilts.

Memory Quilt 3

Here is the third quilt made from the shirts. It is also 50 in X 70 in. It is machine pieced and quilted. I recently finished it or thought I had, but I have since been given more patches from old hats that I am suppose to put on the quilts.

Here is a close up photo. You can the first two memory quilts here and here. This one has the same Route 66 fabric for the backing as I used for the second quilt.

Don't you just love.......

Updated 3/2017-- video and all links removed as many no longer active.

Grunt Doc posted yesterday about having a run-in with a skunk. It left his car with a not so funny smell. My husband tells a story about a time when he and his friend Dave went to a car show. They had been sitting in the car with the doors closed, checking out all the features. Finished with their inspection, they exited. One of them farted just as they stepped out of the car. [My husband always says it was his friend, but knowing my husband it could easily have been him.]

Simultaneously, an exhibitor opened the door on the opposite side for a couple to enter the car and check it out. His words, "Don't you just love that new car smell."

Memory Quilt II

I posted about the first memory quilt made back at the end of May. Here is the second one I have finished. It is from the strips and has three pockets (all working pockets). This one is 50 in X 70 in. It is machine pieced and quilted. I used the Baptist Fan pattern for the quilting.

Here you can see some of the shirt labels and one of the pockets.

The fabric used for the back of this one features Route 66. The man who is being remembered with these quilts had planned to drive Route 66. He never got to take that trip.

My Friend Lisette

Late Friday night, June 6, 2008, my friend Elizabeth "Lisette" Marie Columbo Johnson lost her fight with ovarian cancer. She was only 56 yo. I meet her in the OR where she was a surgical nurse. I loved working with her. She was good -- as a person, at her job, to the patients, to her colleagues. She was beautiful. She was so full of life and shared her passions with us in stories.

She loved that I had named my dog Columbo. "That's my maiden name." She would often ask about him and my other dogs. She had a black Labrador when we first met so we shared many dog stories. At some point a roadrunner took up residency near her home. The bird would visit her deck. She brought in pictures of the roadrunner just sitting on a deck chair for us.

She loved to travel (India, Russia, Africa). I loved her travel stories and pictures. I would have loved to have been a team member with her on "Amazing Race". She would have made me more adventurous.

From her obituary:

Lisette was born in Darby, PA and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. She spent most of her career as a surgical nurse in Dallas and Little Rock. In Dallas she was active in charity work and was a past Chairman of the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Yellow Rose Gala.

She was an avid outdoors enthusiast, animal advocate, sporting clay shooter, traveler and mah-jongg player.

She touched the lives of many and was an inspiration to us all. She will be dearly missed. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund or the ASPCA.

For more information on ovarian cancer:
National Cancer Institute -- Ovarian Cancer Page
Center for Disease Control -- Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Organization
Ovarian Cancer Symptoms --TBTAM

Memory Quilt from Shirts

I was asked by an extended family member to make several quilts from the shirts of a deceased loved one. The husband/father died two years ago in his mid-fifties of sepsis. He was a "good-old boy" in the best sense of the phase. Always had time for his family and friends. Loved cars -- watching NASCAR, restoring old cars, etc.

So with a few specifications (I would piece them. I would even quilt them if they were no larger than 50 in X 70 in. I would not agree to a deadline. I would keep receipts for the batting, thread, and backing used. I would not be paid for anything other than supplies.) I agreed to do the quilts. I was given a large container of shirts -- 42 of them. Here is a picture prior to cutting them up.

It took me a couple of weeks working in the evenings to cut off collars and cuffs, press the shirts, and then cut them into pieces. I decided to for the most part use 5 in squares (5.5 in prior to sewing) so that the shirt patterns wouldn't be lost. Of course, I had to make sure the pockets were used in at least one quilt -- this one.

I also cut some 2.5 in X 10.5 in strips from the yokes so the tags could be used.

Here is the first one. I used the pockets in this one. They all still are functioning pockets too. The quilt is 50 in X 70 in, machine pieced and quilted. The pockets are "tied" from the back so they can still be used.

He was also a ball cap wearer, usually a John Deere one. I cut the patch off of one and added it to the quilt.

One of the shirts had paint stains on it. I decided to make sure they were included. I am glad I did, as I found out recently that it represents the "car that didn't get finished". The paint stains are from working on a car restoration.

Memorial Day 2008

 Updated 3/2017-- video and all links removed as many are no longer active and it's easier than checking each one.

May we all stop at 3 pm  today for a moment of silence as "one nation, one remembrance".  My thanks to all those who serve.
You may also wish to visit these blogs to see their Memorial Day posts:
Dr Wes --  Happy Memorial Day
Movin' Meat -- very moving youtube video
Medinnovationblog -- two posts:  In Remembrance of Military Doctors and God Bless the USA
And if you'd like to hear "God Bless the USA Bless the USA"

Dan Fogelberg (Aug 13, 1951-Dec 16, 2007)

Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links  removed as many are no longer active and it was easier than checking each one.

Dan Fogelberg died yesterday, Dec 16, 2007, at his home in Maine after battling prostate cancer. He was "big" in the 70's during my college years, so his music is associated with good memories for me. Please go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation for more information on the disease (diagnosis, treatment, etc).

From his official Web site
Sunday, December 16
Dear friends,
Dan left us this morning at 6:00am . He fought a brave battle with cancer and died peacefully at home in Maine with his wife Jean at his side. His strength, dignity, and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this disease were an inspiration to all who knew him.
He had a long list of songs (lyrics can be found here), but at this time of year it's the Same Auld Lang Syne always brings tears to my eyes.

Veteran's Day 2007

 Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active.

Thank you to all who serve or have served.

This includes my brother-in-law, Major Bart Herndon,

who is an Army Chaplain currently stationed at Ft Sill, OK

For more information on Veteran's Day (photo credit)

you can click here.

Humane Society Day Planner

Updated 3/2017-- all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active.

Our local humane society (Pulaski County Humane Society) began publishing a Day Planner in 2005. It has turned into a very good fund raiser for them. Last night was the debute of the 2008 seen here. I ordered several that first year to give as Christmas presents. They were such a big hit the first year, I've had to keep doing it.

The first year (2005) we put a picture of my first "true" pet--Columbo-- in the calendar. He had died in November 2002 at age 9 yrs from a strange abdominal cancer. Despite both human and veterinarian pathologist looking at the slides, no diagnosis could be given other than a malignancy. He was an extremely cool dog!

He would carry 5 gallon buckets around the yard, roll the bucket,

and toss it in the air with his head.

He loved to catch soccer balls as they bounced off the roof.

The next year (2006) we put Ladybug's photo in. I posted about her here. She died in May 2002 from osteosarcoma of her left maxilla. The "thing" in her mouth is a rolled up raw hide, not a cigar. She was quite the charmer!

This past year (2007) we had Girlfriend's photo in the calendar. We lost her this year to a canine hemangiosarcoma. I still can not make myself change my profile to say I only have one dog rather than two. I will do it someday, but not today. I still miss her too much. I keep having to correct myself when I tell someone I'm "off to walk my dogs".

This year (for 2008) we had two sets of photos put in. One for our neighbors who lost their beloved Maggie, a border collie, to old age. And the other for my brother and his wife (who live in South Carolina)--someone had poisoned several of their dogs by adding anti-freeze to some food and giving it to the dogs. In the calendar, the photos are placed on two memorial pages (didn't photograph well for me to show you).

Next year my husband says is Rusty's year. I've got to work on getting a really good picture of him. He too is a character! Check out this video of him "playing" basketball.

Girlfriend

My 14 year old female Labrador, Girlfriend, died today. She had quit eating for a couple of days. [Well, she would still eat hot dogs, but not her dog food.] Not a good sign in a Labrador. So I had taken her to her veterinarian yesterday who discovered that she had a low Hct and bleeding in her abdomen from a splenic tumor. [She had just had her yearly exam in mid-July.] So she was scheduled for exploratory surgery this morning. It was bad. The splenic tumor (Canine Hemangiosarcoma) had seeded metastasis all over her abdomen. Her liver was nearly destroyed due to mets. Bill (Dr. Ormsby) called me to give me the news. I asked if I could come and be with her as he gave her the euthanasia injection, and that is what we did. I guess it was a "good death" for her. She was surrounded by people who loved and cared for her.

All this going on and she had never whimpered, never complained. Even Monday evening she had wanted to go on our daily walk which I let her do (though I shortened it and really slowed the pace). She continued to shadow me as I went from room to room at home doing chores or just getting something from another room. My husband called her my "six foot radius" dog, because she hated not being with me. She had such heart! I really miss her.

My heart-felt thanks to the good folks

at Town and Country Animal Hospital.

Virginia L Johnson

 Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active.

I'd like to write a memorial to a friend of mine. Her name is Virginia Johnson (Jan 21, 1928--June 27, 2007). She was married to Jim Johnson. This December would have been their 60th wedding anniversary. She was the first woman to run for governor in Arkansas (in 1966 and no woman has ever won, yet). She and her husband have three sons (and daughter-in-laws) and six grandchildren She was a remarkable woman, intelligent, caring, a great cook. She will be missed.

She had only one flaw that I am aware of--she smoked. And it got her in the end. She died of lung cancer. Smoking is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States.

There are many reasons to quit smoking and I would love to convince just one person to quit or not start:

• Smoking is linked to at least 10 different cancers (lung, bladder, esophageal, laryngeal, oral and throat cancers, acute myeloid leukemia, cervical, kidney, pancreatic, and stomach).


• Smoking is linked to chronic lung diseases (emphysema, asthma)


• Smoking is linked to coronary heart and cardiovascular diseases


• Smoking is linked to reproductive effects and sudden infant death syndrome.


• Smoking is linked to periodontitis.


• Smoking is linked to osteoporosis.


• Smoking is linked to poor wound healing.


• Smoking is linked to Alzheimer's, impotence, Lupus, etc.


• Smoking ages your skin.

In addition, there are non-medical reasons not to smoke. A pack-a-day habit cost around $1000 a year. You may lower your car insurance costs. Please, do yourself (and your loved ones a favor) and if you smoke quit. If you don't, good for you. I hope you never take it up.