Beacon Christian Community Health Center (www.beaconcchc.com), in conjunction with personnel from South Korea and Europe, created a first-of-its-kind comprehensive outpatient protocol at the start of the height of COVID-19 cases in New York City.
Read MoreAbout GHO Trips Find a Trip Trip Preparation Urgent Needs Resources Application Information Team Participant Manual Trip Preparation Mission Scholarships Additional Resources FAQs GHO Blog Contact FIND A TRIP TRIP PREPARATION Are you planning to go on a Global Health Outreach trip but do not know what to expect? These tips will give you a glimpse of what a week with a GHO team is…
Read MoreThe purpose of the Fellowship of Christian Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (FCPRS) is to encourage, educate and challenge members to engage in a deeper, more fulfilling walk with our Savior, equipping us to impact the lives of others with the gospel.
Read MoreA program designed to serve domestic and international healthcare missionaries in their work as well as aid in the recruitment and retention of career medical missionaries. CMM also assists students with scholarships and overseas rotations.
Read MoreThe Mission of the Neurology Section is to raise awareness among neurologists, neurology health professionals, neurology residents, fellows and medical students of the great need for neurological care—domestically and globally—and through their response to those needs, to share the gospel.
Read MoreChristian Physical Rehab Professionals (CPRP) is a specialty section of CMDA. We are here to encourage, support and build up Christian Physical Rehab Professionals CPRP spiritually and professionally. We’d love to share more about our purpose, beliefs and what we offer.
Read MoreDo you have a passion for medicine and a calling to help those in need? Southwestern Medical Clinic Foundation offers scholarships to qualified medical students and residents who have a strong interest in gaining valuable clinical experience while serving on an international or domestic Christian medical mission trip.
Read MoreAnd so begins a New York Times article about the recent JAMA Internal Medicine analysis of physician pay disparities. The central message of the analysis is that women in healthcare, on average, earn $20,000 less per year than their specialty-matched male colleagues.
Read More“Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’”
—John 12:23
Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection were the fulfillment of multiple Old Testament prophecies, and they coincided with a time period of unbridled harshness and brutality. Death by crucifixion, as described by Martin Hengel, was “a barbaric form of execution of the utmost cruelty” and as “the supreme Roman penalty.”
Read MoreI still remember the first time I donned a whitecoat (one of those half-length coats for students) with a stethoscope in my pocket and walked into a patient room at the big city hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1985. I was a second-year medical student at Indiana University, and I had just received instruction from my clinical instructor on how to perform a thorough history and physical. I don’t remember my first patient’s name, but she was a young woman with a loud systolic heart murmur even I could hear. I also remember three words that were to guide me through each step of a thorough physical exam: “Look, listen and feel.” A couple of years later, those three words became critical again as I took my first basic life support (BLS) course and became certified both in BLS and Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), prior to becoming a surgical resident. Again, the phrase, “Look, listen and feel,” was the guiding mantra to get my first BLS certification card.
Read MoreAs organizations representing over 25,000 medical professionals, we would like to correct the errors and assumptions of the recently released joint statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Physicians for Reproductive Health (PRH).
Read MoreRight of Conscience Resources
Read MoreI remember early on hearing in the news about a virus causing problems in China. It wasn’t long before we heard news of it spreading. As it began to spread, we were busy planning for March, our busiest month of mission trips. We send the most teams in the month of March, which gives mission opportunities for various schools during the annual spring break period. We sent our first two teams out before countries began closing their borders. While these two teams were still out of the country, we began cancelling our remaining trips. First it was for the month, then it became two and on through the summer. Before we knew it, we had cancelled every single remaining mission trip scheduled throughout the remainder of 2020—all as a result of COVID-19.
Read MoreWhen COVID-19 began sweeping around the globe in early 2020, career healthcare missionaries were faced with the option of staying in their countries of service to weather the storm or evacuating back to the United States before the borders closed. Without sufficient quantities of protective equipment for staff members, would rural mission hospitals be able to survive the pandemic? In countries where the medical infrastructure is limited at best, would there be enough resources? What about food and other supplies to help to meet the day-to-day needs if the airports closed?
Read MoreSent home, shut in isolation, studying in our bedrooms, trying to survive our first year of medical school, and we weren’t even at school! When the four of us entered medical school in the Detroit, Michigan area in fall of 2020, it certainly trumped any expectations we had.
Read MoreI was visiting a patient in the rehab center who had undergone a knee replacement. He was fine except for the slow pace of rehab. His wife was there, vivacious, energetic, appearing far younger than her stated age, which I will not share. I asked her how they had met.
“We actually met in church,” she shared. “You know, I am older than he. When we started dating, he wouldn’t tell me how old he was. I called the church office to find out, but they wouldn’t tell me either. By the time I found out he was five years younger, I was already in love, and the rest is history.”
What difference does age make anyway?
Quite a bit, actually…
Read MoreThe Christian Medical and Dental Associations of South Central Pennsylvania (CMDA South Central PA) exists to glorify God by motivating, educating, and equipping Christian healthcare professionals and students in order to transform lives with the gospel. CMDA South Central PA’s vision is to strengthen and equip physicians, PA’s, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, students, and other healthcare professionals with the wisdom and compassion of Christ as they transform their professional fields through holistic care. Through this network of Christ-centered, compassionate caregivers, people receive the latest medical treatment through the transformative power of the gospel.
Read MoreCMDA Houston’s vision is to strengthen and equip physicians, PA’s, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, students, and other healthcare professionals with the wisdom and compassion of Christ as they transform their professional fields through holistic care. Through this network of Christ-centered, compassionate caregivers, people receive the latest medical treatment through the transformative power of the gospel.
Read MoreThere is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Read MoreTo provide financial assistance for future medical, dental and other students to participate on their first Global Health Outreach short-term medical missions experience; enabling them to become familiar with the cultural, social, spiritual, medical and dental needs in developing countries while allowing them to serve the underserved and to train and mentor the next generation of missionaries in the name of Jesus.
Read MoreCMDA Greater New York facilitates gatherings for students to fellowship with like minded peers and with Christian graduate professionals to build relationships that promote growth professionally and personally.
Read MoreBryan & Sharon Stoudt serve with CMDA in the Metro Phoenix Area. They enjoy helping Christian healthcare students and professionals thrive (not merely survive), and together have four (mostly) fantastic children. In their spare time, Bryan enjoys staying active and roasting coffee, while Sharon has a passion for all things French.
Read MoreThe mission of the CMDA Family Medicine Section is to motivate, educate and equip Christian Family Physicians and Family Medicine Residents to show the love and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ to our patients and their families, our colleagues, communities, and the world we called to serve in His name.
Read MoreChristian Medical & Dental Associations® News Releases
Read MoreI attended my first CMDA National Convention in April 2012 and heard devotional speaker Luis Palau make this statement: “Big doors open on small hinges.” He explained how seemingly small events in our lives may serve to open big doors that God intends for us to walk through in order to enjoy incredible blessings that follow. A small hinge in my life was a letter Dr. David Stevens wrote to me after I had served at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya in early 1988 for two months during my fourth year of medical school.
Read MoreAs you know, several U.S. jurisdictions have passed legislation giving doctors immunity from civil and criminal liability for assisting the suicide of persons diagnosed with terminal disabilities. Tragically, in these jurisdictions and for this class of persons, and for them alone, suicides are now facilitated by physicians, usually with no psychological assessment or other medical treatment, typically with no consultation with family and loved ones, and in every case without the interventions and protections provided as a matter of course to all other suicidal persons.
Read MoreTenwek is developing a Cardiothoracic Training Center and is recruiting a cardiologist. The ideal candidate would be highly experienced, board certified, skilled at echo (TEE a plus or could be trained), and peri-operative care, an energetic educator, and a devoted follower of Jesus. There is the opportunity to use or develop interventional skills (balloon mitral valvuloplasty, pacemaker insertion,) and support is provided by a broad network of North American cardiologists who visit Tenwek regularly. Two to four cardiologists could “job-share” this position if not filled by a single candidate. Tenwek is a 350 bed multi-specialty facility located in the beautiful highlands of Kenya. It has a comfortable climate and is nearby the Masai Mara reserve. For further information, please contact Ron Johannsen at ronandcolleenjohannsen@gmail.com.
Read MorePediatrics — If you are a pediatrician BE/BC seeking an outstanding career opportunity, consider Central Ohio Primary Care (COPC), the largest independent physician owned group in the nation. At COPC, we are a faith-based practice committed to providing families and their children with top quality pediatric care at our 18 pediatric practices (and growing) located in Central Ohio. We believe the care of a patient is a partnership built upon our knowledge of pediatrics and the parents’ commitment to their children’s well-being. We strive to remain current with advances in pediatric medicine and consider educating our families a top priority. Key points: currently seeking a pediatrician for this growing practice; four days a week preferred; join a group of seven established, well trained pediatricians; the ability to work independently; and pediatric support centers provide urgent care for all COPC pediatric patents during the evening and weekend hours when primary care offices are closed. Benefits through COPC: competitive salary offered with shareholder potential after one year; 401k and profit sharing plans; long-term disability; health, vision and dental insurance; medical reimbursement account; health savings account; starting bonuses; and loan repayment. For additional information, please contact COPC Physician Recruiter Julie Hotchkiss at jhotchki@copcp.com or 614-562-1231. Not an H1B or J-1 Visa opportunity.
Read MoreSince 1999, Medicos has provided bilingual training for physicians called to service in mission hospitals or rural communities. Applicants must qualify for an unrestricted medical license. Develop needed skills such as Cesarean section, ambulatory surgery/anesthesia, point of care ultrasound/radiology and stewardship training for the design of a locally supported healthcare ministry. Support is available for qualified residents with this interest. Memphis, Tennessee and rural. Send CV to wmrodney@aol.com.
Read MoreSuccess Vision is a growing company with locations across five states, seeking optometrists interested in employment or leasing opportunities. You will join a faith-based and mission-driven company that invests significant time helping those in need. Each year, Success Vision sends doctors, technicians, scribes and home office staff to local outreaches and international mission trips to provide eye care and prayer to underserved communities. https://www.successvision.info/
Read MoreThere is an urgent need for a neurosurgeon with paediatric experience to join BethanyKids in Kijabe, Kenya. In 2018, BethanyKids surgeons performed 3,571 pediatric surgical procedures and saw more than 11,500 children in hospital outpatient clinics in 5 African countries.
Read MoreThe Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons is welcoming endoscopy educators. We need endoscopists willing to enhance the quality of endoscopy services and education in resource limited settings.
Many endoscopists would be surprised that a medical mission could be so specific to their skill set. Short term missions are welcomed, and logistics are handled by Samaritan’s Purse.
Oasis is a not-for-profit Christian hospital located in Al Ain, about 160 kilometers east of the United Arab Emirates capital city, Abu Dhabi. We are part of the Cure International network of hospitals whose mission is to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God. Our hospital is the first private hospital established in the United Arab Emirates and also the first to attain JCIA accreditation.
Read MoreIntroducing a new video-based teaching program from CMDA to equip healthcare professionals to share the love of Christ with their patients and colleagues
Read MoreAs Christian healthcare professionals, God has granted us the high privilege and responsibility of serving others through healthcare. Part of this responsibility is that of maintaining clinical knowledge and skill in order to provide high quality care to our patients. If we lose some of our skills due to trauma, physical or mental illness, or due to normal aging, this may not always be optimally possible.
Read MoreLet me introduce you to Aidah. She worked in our home (our “inside worker”) during the eight months our family lived in Kenya in 2003/2004. Don and I worked at Tenwek Mission Hospital as family physicians, and our three children attended elementary and middle school at nearby Rift Valley Academy. She helped me buy food and cook it, and she kept our house clean. Aidah was our backbone. She was a rock.
Read MoreMore than a year ago, we watched as New York City and the surrounding area became the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis when the pandemic initially broke out in the United States. At this year’s CMDA Virtual National Convention, we shared stories from several CMDA members from the area whose lives and work in healthcare were impacted by the virus.
As we consider how COVID-19 has changed our world and our profession in healthcare, these stories share how God has worked in and through our members during this crisis.
Read MoreWhen I contracted COVID-19 on March 18, 2020, it was so early in the outbreak of the pandemic that my illness sent shock waves of fear through Inland Vineyard Medical Mission and Free Clinic where I serve as director. Everyone on our team was worried, including our student workers. How would we keep our team safe? And how would we still treat our patients? For most of our patients, we are their main source for both food and medical care. Where would they go if we suddenly shut our doors?
Read MoreMembership Donate Now About GHO Trips Find a Trip Trip Preparation Urgent Needs Resources Application Information Team Participant Manual Trip Preparation Mission Scholarships Additional Resources FAQs GHO Blog Contact URGENT NEEDS Find a Trip Each year, we send 45 to 55 teams around the world to countries including El Salvador, East Africa, I*dia, the Pacific, Nicaragua, Central Asia, the Middle East and many others. We…
Read MoreAbout GHO Trips Find a Trip Trip Preparation Urgent Needs Resources Application Information Team Participant Manual Trip Preparation Mission Scholarships Additional Resources FAQs Contact FIND A TRIP ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Health Education Program for Developing Countries Human Trafficking Continuing Education GHO Podcast Jul 15, 2023 A Conversation with CMDA’s VP of Missions https://cmda.org/podcast-player/25582/a-conversation-with-cmdas-vp-of-missions.mp3 Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 00:26:00 | Recorded on…
Read MoreWe publish a wide variety of informational print, audio and electronic publications that are designed to encourage, equip and motivate our members.
Read MoreThis is a bi-monthly e-newsletter designed to educate, encourage and equip healthcare missionaries around the globe. Each issue of the e-Pistle™ includes articles about management on the missionary field, information from like-minded organizations, announcements, new resources available for those on the field, etc. A wide variety of subjects is covered, and it is free to anyone interested in healthcare missions. Be sure to check out…
Read MoreHOME TRAINING EVENTS RESOURCES FAQs DONATE CONTACT US FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is the Difference Between Coaching and Other Helping Professions? When many people hear the word “coach,” they immediately think of a football or tennis coach. In those “coach” settings, the coach corrects a faulty swing or pattern of activity, setting goals for the athlete to strive to reach. But in a professional coaching…
Read MoreAs a Christian healthcare professional, have your colleagues ever looked down at you for refusing to prescribe the morning after pill? Or have you ever been punished for maintaining your religious beliefs instead of believing in evolution? Or have you ever been harassed by an attending trying to force you to perform an abortion?
If you’ve experienced any type of hostility or discrimination like this, then you know how important it is for healthcare workers to protect their right of conscience. Right of conscience is defined as the right to practice healthcare in accordance with your deeply held religious, moral or ethical convictions.
Healthcare professionals are being pressured and discriminated against by employers and colleagues because of their deeply held religious or moral beliefs. Almost one in four faith-based professionals state that they have been discriminated against by employers, educators or others in the healthcare system. Nearly two out of five have been pressured to violate their beliefs by referring, writing a prescription or doing a procedure.
Abolishing the right of conscience is dangerous. It’s not just dangerous for the physicians and healthcare workers, but it’s also dangerous for our country, our healthcare system and every patient. In a recent survey of more than 2,800 faith-based doctors, pharmacists, physician assistants and nurses, 95 percent of them said they would quit medicine before violating their conscience.
CMDA is committed to providing the most up-to-date information on the legislative, ethical and medical aspects of the fight to protect the rights of medical professionals. We’ve compiled a great number of resources that you can use to educate yourself and others about this important issue. So get involved today: talk about the issue with your friends, write your senators and send a letter to your local newspaper to let others know how important it is to maintain the right of conscience.
Read MoreA program designed to serve domestic and international healthcare missionaries in their work as well as aid in the recruitment and retention of career medical missionaries. CMM also assists students with scholarships and overseas rotations.
Read MoreA program designed to serve domestic and international healthcare missionaries in their work as well as aid in the recruitment and retention of career medical missionaries. CMM also assists students with scholarships and overseas rotations.
Read MoreBe an advocate for God’s Word and speak truth into today’s ethical issues. These resources will help you learn how to answer difficult questions with grace, kindness and truth.
Read MoreDeveloped by expert healthcare professionals, this new small group study is designed to ask difficult, thought-provoking questions as we seek the truth found in God’s Word about the ethical issues facing Christians today. This curriculum will help you courageously stand up for what’s morally right according to your beliefs.
Read MoreThere are several types of human trafficking including forced labor, sex trafficking, forced child labor, bonded labor, involuntary domestic servitude, debt bondage among migrant laborers and child soldiers. Human trafficking occurs in every part of the world, from less developed countries to more developed countries. As such, it is a crime under U.S. and international law.
Read MoreA weekly blog keeping you updated on emerging topics relevant to today’s issues in healthcare written by CMDA’s staff and members. Perspectives and Opinions on Issues and News Topics is a publication of Christian Medical & Dental Associations®. Join the conversation with The Point, CMDA’s blog focusing on breaking news stories in bioethics and healthcare. CMDA’s experts contribute to the blog and also recommend additional resources and information.
Read MoreThe Christian Medical Association at UVA exists to provide fellowship, encourage spiritual growth, and build authentic relationships both within the Christian community and the larger UVA medical community. Our desire is to serve and encourage both students and faculty and promote discussion on the intersection of faith and medicine. CMA is largely student-led and provides regular weekly meetings, Bible studies, and fellowship times. Other activities include an annual student retreat and occasional dinners with local physicians and residents.
Read MoreA program designed to serve domestic and international healthcare missionaries in their work as well as aid in the recruitment and retention of career medical missionaries. CMM also assists students with scholarships and overseas rotations.
Read MoreWe are a multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals and Jesus followers who have a passion for using and teaching ultrasound, with the goal of equipping Christian international healthcare workers to incorporate ultrasound into their practice of medicine in the most challenging of settings.
Read MoreCMDA’s Dental Ministries is dedicated to encouraging and supporting dentists in living out their Christian faith in their professional and personal lives. We are an outreach that encourages and supports dental professionals and students as they strive to integrate their Christian faith into all aspects of their lives, while providing opportunities for training and equipping.
Read MorePreparing to meet my next patient, I pick the next chart up off the counter. “Bob Smith,” married middle-aged patient, chief complaint: STD check. “Weird,” I think, “Mary Smith’s husband’s name is Bob, too. What a coincidence.” I open the exam room door, and Mary Smith’s husband, Bob Smith, is sitting inside.
Read MoreMy eldest child left for college this fall, having chosen to attend school in Scotland. Yes, that’s right. Scotland. It’s a long way away. It’s also a place I had never previously visited. We went on a family trip to Scotland in March—partly to visit the school he now attends, and partly to have one last bang-up family vacation before we became a family that no longer lives under one roof. On that trip, we had not one, but two, flat tires on our rental car. A consequence of our struggles driving on the left side of the road, perhaps?
Read MoreRight of Conscience Resources
Read MoreHow the spiritual needs of an academic-based group of physicians and scientists inspired the founding of the Christian Academic Physicians and Scientists (CAPS), a specialty section of CMDA.
Read MoreA group of colleagues and myself met recently to discuss episode 16 of CMDA’s Faith Prescriptions video series at a Christian clinic in Yorktown, Virginia. Episode leader Dr. Farr Curlin states regarding the practice of medicine, “We should make use of it, it’s a gift of God, but don’t put our hope in it, as if it is the physician who saves.”
Read MoreAs members of the Commission on Human Trafficking of the Christian Medical Association, we are writing to protest the attempt to decriminalize commercial sex with the “Community Safety and Health Amendment Act of 2019”. This attempt to decriminalize the degradation of mostly women and girls in commercial sex as well as the sex buyer is morally and ethically wrong.
Read MoreDespite the Authority of Scripture, there are those who are confused on this issue and from that confusion (combined with political correctness) there are professionals guiding individuals through the process of hormonal treatment (as normal) and very tragically, even surgical interventions.
Read MoreLetter to the Editor of CHEST (American College of Chest Physicians) opposing physician-assisted suicide in response to article by Attorney Kathryn Tucker’s article pushing physicians to help patients dye.
Read MoreAs representatives of over 30,000 physicians who practice according to the Hippocratic Oath, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), the American College of Pediatricians, Christian Medical & Dental Associations, the Catholic Medical Association, and the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons decry the call to continue elective abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic made by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and others which falsely characterize elective abortion as essential healthcare.
Read MoreOne week into a rotation in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), I found myself dreaming about the hospital. I was not dreaming about saying the wrong thing on rounds, but I was dreaming about our patients: Mr. Brown’s wife when she’d been told he may not survive his third surgery this admission; Mr. Thomas’s mom crying because she felt responsible for how he’d “turned out.” I told an attending I trusted that I was distressed by how much I was carrying patients’ stories with me, and she graciously admitted to me she’d struggled with the same thing early on in training. The solution, she said, is to not get so attached. “That’s how you burn out,” she said.
Read MoreSometimes reality is far more awe-inspiring than anything even the most imaginative of writers could dream up. Decades ago, the idea that a woman could become pregnant with her adopted child seemed like science fiction. However, reproductive medicine has long since crossed biological boundaries in ways that once seemed impossible, creating complex problems that require morally sound, technology-driven solutions. Since 2003, the Knoxville, Tennessee-based National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) has been the national leader for one such solution: embryo donation/embryo adoption (ED/EA). The NEDC specializes in honoring life in its very earliest stages and facilitating pregnancies for women who want to carry their adopted children. And these days, the ministry is busier than ever, adding new initiatives and team members to expand the quality and scope of its life-affirming work.
Read MoreAs Christians in healthcare, we are called to take our faith into the workplace, whether it be in a clinic, in a hospital or in academia. My journey in medicine led me from the clinic into academia. I actually consider myself an accidental academician who never meant to end up in charge of training a portion of the physician assistant workforce. This, however, is exactly why I am writing this story, to encourage my colleagues and help them understand who the sheep are, why they need feeding, how to feed them and when to stop feeding them.
Read MoreIt has been said that the best way to learn about our future is to look to our past. A historical reflection on the actions of those who have gone before us can both guide us toward monumental successes and deter us from repeating colossal mistakes. A glance to history may reveal progressive social and technological advancements, yet it also affirms that the basic principles of a man’s heart remain unchanged. As Proverbs reminds us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).
Read MoreIn the closing months of 1989, a brutal civil war erupted in Liberia and soon engulfed the small West African country. At the time, T. Abraham Browne was in high school, and the senseless killings forced him and his siblings to flee for their lives to escape the bloodshed. They reached a refugee camp where Abraham would spend the next 10 years.
Read MoreI picked up the phone to return a call from a message I had received on my office voicemail earlier that day. The call was from a doctor. I called the doctor back and said, “Hello, this is Pastor Bert from CMDA returning your phone call, how can I help you?” After a pause, he responded, “Thank you for calling me back; I don’t know how much longer I can continue to practice in this environment.” As he continued to download the heavy burden he was carrying, I realized the doctor on the other end of the call was in distress. It was a 911 call for spiritual help. Unfortunately, that phone call is becoming all too common and frequent in my office.
Read MoreTry as we may, adversity is unavoidable. Often unexpected, hardship comes into our lives in a variety of forms and levels—a cancer diagnosis, a harsh public criticism, a mistake or accident with a detrimental outcome, an economic downturn or even a pandemic or natural disaster.
Read MoreAs a Christian who’s been practicing periodontics for 29 years, I’ve had numerous opportunities to share my faith and pray with my patients. A number of my patients have expressed their appreciation for having a fellow Christian responsible for their care.
Read MoreAs the trappings of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons emerge around us in North America, things look and feel quite different for our colleagues serving around the world. For cross-cultural missionaries serving far from home, this time of year is complicated.
Read MorePublic health and traditional medicine have a serious logical conflict. Public policy decisions must be made in utilitarian terms, unlike medicine, for populations and not individuals. Decisions are made according to which action saves the most lives. All public health policies are tradeoffs in the context of having incomplete data and finite resources. In contrast, patient-based medicine asks, “What is best for this patient?”
Read MoreI knew I’d broken it before I hit the ground. I heard it snap. Breathing hard on the concrete, between cries for help, my mind moaned, “not again!”.
Yes. Again.
9 years ago I broke the same ankle, my right one. It was early Christmas morning and I was sleepily walking down the stairs to get baby Tylenol for my teething son. One wrong step and down I went. This time it was December 23rd. I think next year my family may cocoon me in bubble wrap and prop me up in the corner until New Year’s.
As I write this, I am on Day 8 of a self-imposed quarantine for COVID-19. Dr. H and I managed to come down with it at almost the same time; so have several of our family members. No one seems to know just who gave it to whom, but at this point it doesn’t much matter. All of our happily vaccinated and boostered selves are doing better now, by God’s grace, and we are very thankful about it.
Read MoreMy middle daughter has a problem with trust. She often asks me, “Mom, are you going to take me to dance today?” or “Mom, are you going to pick me up from school?” She frets over small things like have I signed a permission slip yet, or have I made that orthodontist appointment yet. It is frustrating as a parent to feel like my precious girl doesn’t know that I am taking care of her, that I am here for her.
Read MoreThe dog groomer took some sort of hiatus. And while I don’t begrudge her time off, away or whatever she needed, we have three dogs in this house. Two fairly large, all fairly fluffy dogs. And furthermore, finding a good groomer in our area is like finding gold at the end of the rainbow. It eludes most and did us for a long time. Finding a replacement was impossible.
Read MoreI’m in my early 60s. This means I have about 50 years of clear memories of news events, politics, fads and fashions, stemming from the early 70s. I even remember when JFK died, although I was just a little girl; the reactions of the adults around me were so remarkable that I still remember exactly where I was. In all of that time I will tell you what I have learned: God is the only One we can trust to tell us the truth and the only One who can give us peace.
Read MoreOne day, a mole decided life underground wasn’t his thing. Ready for something new, he found a folded lawn chair in a driveway and thought, yes, this was his best next step. So he moved in.
Read MoreWe were doing a residency rotation in Florida when the triplets were four. One dreary overcast Saturday we were enjoying family time even though Wade was on call. We didn’t understand that in Florida rain can turn to sun in less than a minute. That day it did just that. And three four-year-olds began to wail. I couldn’t understand why the sun was making them cry. As I attempted to console them, I was asking why they were sobbing: “Daddy will have to go to work now.”
Read MoreI don’t drag out my MD for just any occasion. Typically, I keep it tucked away. But today I thought I would speak (indirectly) to residents, especially first-year residents or interns, so it seemed appropriate. Perhaps you ladies, who are reading this article, will pass along my remarks to the young physicians in your lives.
Read MoreBehind the smile I was shouting, “Oh goodness mercy of course!” I have been the new girl showing up at the team meeting, the book club, the Bible study far, far more often than I have been the one standing with friends. It can be excruciatingly hard. It can also be invigorating.
Read MoreMedical life takes grit. We wrap our minds around MCAT scores, acceptance letters, residency placements and job contracts, knowing it’s not easy. There’s risk in leaving a paying job and moving across the country. And it’s scary. Will you land on your feet? Will you live on this budget? Will you make friends? Regardless, we have hope. We see the endpoint, or the little milestones on the way—the white coat ceremony, the match and the job signing.
Read MoreI make a mean lasagna. Always have. It’s my mom’s recipe and it has never let me down. (Don’t worry. I’ll share it with you in a minute.) So, naturally, when I think of taking food over to someone’s house, I think of lasagna. It’s easy, portable, reheats well, and lasts for days. This is especially helpful if the person is sick, or in this case, recovering from surgery.
Read MoreThe Christmas season is upon us! I love the smells, the lights and the traditions. One tradition we have in our family is to not put any Christmas gifts under the tree until after the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve. It is a tradition born out of practicality: we had curious toddlers in our house for more than 10 years. But even now, when our youngest is 11, we still keep all the gifts safely tucked away until late Christmas Eve. It is so much fun to see the surprise on their sleepy faces Christmas morning!
Read MoreIt is a foggy morning at my house and I just filled my fourth garbage bag following the departure of my Christmas guests (full disclosure: my mom is still here after airline troubles delayed her flight by a week!) I am not ready to un-decorate yet as we love to savor the Christmas lights for a bit as we enter the new year. The deep sigh of tidying up is truly palpable — getting things back in their place somewhat and organized so that the new year can begin.
Read MoreKicking and screaming…most of the time. Protesting in the loudest and most ridiculous ways imaginable. Much like a disobedient child, who is being drug from a store by a parent; misbehaving just because they didn’t get what they wanted. That’s me. Why? How do you follow Jesus?
Read MoreIt has been said that all the world is a stage, and the people are mere players. If that is true, then sometimes I feel like a supporting character in my own life. My husband’s career has been center-stage for so long, I can’t remember a time when our life didn’t somehow revolve around it. It determined where we lived, and how long. It determined when dinner was, and when we could go on vacation. It was the reason we moved away from home, and the reason we moved again, and again, and again. And I have been the one making sure all the endless “little things” got done along the way. I am pushing the plot of our lives along—but standing outside the spotlight.
Read MoreSome days when the deadline for writing my On the Side devotional is looming—or loomed last week and is now bearing down on me like a bullet train—and the words are stuck in my head, I scroll through old issues to see what topics we have covered as a team.
Read MoreWhen I sit among the women of our local Side By Side chapter, I sit among power. Wives of physicians, some physicians themselves, some experts in other fields, some nursing stay-at-home moms. A group diverse in age and background and current employment, but always powerful.
Read MoreMoving has the effect of making you take stock of what you’re carrying with you. It is important to know what baggage to keep and what to get rid of.
Read MoreGod knows everything He is planning to bring about in our future. He is the One who makes a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. We may look around us and see nothing of that promise, but He encourages us to look anyway and to see with the eyes of faith.
Read MoreI met my best friends from high school this summer in North Carolina. It was our third annual trip together—we have been to a couple of beaches, but this year we chose the mountains.
Read MoreGod knows everything He is planning to bring about in our future. He is the One who makes a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. We may look around us and see nothing of that promise, but He encourages us to look anyway and to see with the eyes of faith.
Read MoreAs I am writing this article, it has been just a few days since hostilities erupted in the Middle East. Every morning I have to get up and see what they are doing over there. It is unquestionable that any information I have today will be obsolete by the time you read this. I don’t know what else to say except, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’” (Psalm 122:6, NASB).
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