Estoy en mis rodillas.

It's official now. I matched in General Surgery - Preliminary at NYMC/WMC.  The most common question that I am receiving from people is, "so, how do you feel?"

 Honestly, perhaps a bit stunned.  That it's real. 

 

  Imagine you're hiking a mountain.  There's no trail to follow just the trust of the general feeling that you're still headed up.  No view to see or to help get your bearing as overgrowth and wild nature envelopes you against the face of the mountain.  Sense of timing is lost and you don't bother to try to find it again. And then suddenly you step out of the forrest.  Doubled over panting, trying to catch your breath, you begin to look around. Piece by piece the view becomes whole.  And quietly looking out, your heart rate begins to slow.  Your breathing returns to normal. You notice the sun starting to warm you deep within. And the awe at the realization of where you are standing brings you to your knees and tears to your eyes. If you want to look in that direction, in the not so distant future you feel the journey which awaits. The mountains, in their own way, perhaps even more daunting than from where you just emerged. And you will go, but for a moment you just stand there. Bewildered. Amazed. Humbled. You throw your arms wide open and belt out, "How Great Thou Art"

Lisa's office is catty-corner from mine.  She made a celebratory chocolate cake for everyone in the office! De-Lic-Ious!

 Esther, myself and Ana excited for cake!

 Andrea is the secretary for the Neurosurgeon I work with. Both the Neurosurgeon and Marini were excited to hear I matched at Westchester. Their opinions ment a lot to me.  Indirectly, their big smiles told me they were happy to continue working with me.  (Or at least I made that assumption, though...it was just an assumption).  But you hardly see Marini excited unless he's talking about stepwise regression or statistical significance.  The fact that I can continue with my role in all of this research, granted to a much lesser extent, is a definite blessing of staying at Westchester.

These three are the trauma registrars. Val, me, Brian, and Mary.  They do amazing work, are incredibly helpful, and are very, very patient with us.  On multiple studies we've asked them to pull data from the trauma database, and inevitably then go back and ask them to do it a second, third, fourth, etc... time as we figure out the specific variables we need.

Patrizio! Research coordinator and friend!

Dr. Blood couldn't make it for a piece of cake.  He sent flowers.  I think it's been too long since he has made it to a clearing on the mountains he's climbing.  

A year ago, on the evening following Match Week, I was sitting in this very chair trying to look at my future with courage.  Here I am tonight doing the exact same!  So much has changed, and nothing has changed.  This journey, this adventure, of walking with Jesus is so FULL.

The Great Adventure by Stephen Curtis Chapman 

Saddle up your horses

Started out this morning
In the usual way
Chasing thoughts inside my head
Of all I had to do today
Another time around the circle
Try to make it better than the last

I opened up the Bible
And I read about me
Said, I'd been a prisoner
And God's grace had set me free

And somewhere between the pages
It hit me like a lightning bolt
I saw a big frontier in front of me
And I heard somebody say, "Let's go"

Saddle up your horses
We've got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder
Of God's amazing grace

Let's follow our Leader
Into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other
This is the great adventure, yeah

We'll travel over, over mountains so high
We'll go through valleys below
Still through it all, we'll find that
This is the greatest journey
That the human heart will ever see

The love of God will take us far
Beyond our wildest dreams, yeah

Oh, saddle up your horses
Come on, get ready to ride

Saddle up your horses
We've got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder
Of God's amazing grace

Let's follow our Leader
Into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other
This is the great adventure

Come on, this is the great adventure
Saddle up, saddle up your horses
We've got a trail to blaze
Through God's amazing grace

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
 
Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.




Hasta!