by Dr. Amber Newell, AHA Board Member
I awoke this morning to the roosters. It's 5:30 a.m. and light is starting to creep through the darkness. I get dressed and ready for my last run in Malawi - it's my last run of this trip at least, but many more are in the future.
I step outside and fill my lungs with the Malawian air. The streets are already flooded with our Malawian neighbors on their way to work. There is a genuine beauty to the people and landscape. They are our patients but we learn so much from them. Each breath in, each stride on the pavement, I'm reminded of our patients this week and our cases.
Dr. Newell and Dr. Henson operate on an AHA patient at Kabudula Hospital, July 2017
I'm reminded of the gentleman who thanked us for his surgery, alleviating the pain he had experienced for over a decade, and for providing the transportation funds required to get to the hospital. After surgery we exchanged a handshake, and a gentle smile. I don't want to leave. The time between trips here is too long. I will hold on to that moment and the others until my next return.