Estoy estudiando.

 My family helped me finish up my time in New York. This included a one last trip into the hospital. A couple of trips down into the city. And last, but definitely not least one last trip to CT for church. As it has been with all of my past moves, it's not the place or events that make a goodbye hard. It's the people that have experienced that stage of my life with me; parting with them is always the hardest part. Each individual makes the words of a farewell hymn that much more meaningful. 

Watching the helicopter take off from the helipad at WMC.

Fish tanks in the lobby of Maria Fareri Children's Hospital.

One last trip to the food trucks on Food Truck Friday, then lunch on the Oval outside of the hospital.

The long awaited and greatly anticipated meeting with Balto!

Bubbles in Central Park. 

Snack break in Central Park.

Bethesda Fountain. Central Park. #PeterBear #LittleLincoln #MilesAustin

Bethesda Fountain. Central Park. #PeterBear #LittleLincoln #MilesAustin

Central Park, NYC with Carrie.

Mom & Dad. Central Park, NYC.

I love NYC.

Top of the Rock with Peter Bear.

Top of the Rock with the family.

Top of the Rock: Lincoln, me, Dad, Peter, Miles, Carrie, Troy, Chelli, Mom

Top of the Rock: Lincoln, Me, Dad, Peter, Miles, Carrie, Troy, Chelli, Mom (somehow the only one keeping her cool ;)

Times Square, NYC with Chelli.

Times Square, NYC with Little Lincoln.

Times Square with Troy, Miles, Carrie, Peter, Lincoln, Chelli

Had to say goodbye to Bryant Park. One of my favorite places in the city.

Taking care to stay behind the yellow lines.

Train pulling into station.

World Trade Center Transportation Hub Oculus

9/11 Memorial

9/11 Memorial: One of my favorite pictures from the whole weekend.

9/11 Memorial and One WTC.

Battery Park and Lower Manhattan.

Battery Park and Lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry.

Statue of Liberty.

9/11 memorial on Staten Island (Postcards).

Looking back across the Upper Bay from Staten Island towards Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn connected by the Brooklyn Bridge

Much Love.

Estoy cambiando el tema.

 And just like that residency is over; absolutely no Pomp and very little Circumstance. 

I once again failed at taking any pictures of the dinner hosted Friday night and thus far only a few have trickled in.

 L to R: Dr. Con (program director), me, Ansab, Ash, Vasu, Dr. Latifi ( Director of Surgery)

The PGY4s roasted the chiefs as per tradition. They handed out a few of their own awards as part of their roast. My favorite: "Member of the Surgery in a Backpack Society"

Chiefs with two of our transplant surgeons L to R: Ansab, Dr. Sogawa, me, Ash, Dr. Veillette, Vasu 

Love and Prayers.

For the past two years I have worked, ran, and lived to the same theme song. I believe I've mentioned it before, Hard Love by Needtobreathe. I won't replay it now, because over the past four weeks or so, I have felt a huge change in the rhythm and the weight of my days.  The chips on my shoulder that had seemed so incredibly heavy; reason would have had me believe them to be impossible to loose. And yet, I find myself looking back at my time at WMC no longer burdened with anger and frustration but with thankfulness. I look at my shoulder, and not a chip left to be found. Where reason fails, the love and grace of God prevails. 

There is a new theme song now. Amen by for King and Country. Not only as a survivor of a general surgery residency, but as a born-again follower of Jesus I have so much to be thankful for. Amen. 

Amen.

Estoy al fin.

 My last week of General Surgery residency in pictures.

6.12.21 Ice Cream Social in Ellington, CT.  When you want to say goodbye to A. LOT. of people. Have them all come to you!! Thank you Kevin & Cheryl Ryan. It was a fabulous idea! 

6.13.21 Vascular Surgery Farewell Party. I was coming from CT so arrived late, but just in time for the amazing Indian food and a few pictures!

Graduating Chiefs: Vasu, Ash, Ansab, Me

The chiefs with Dr. Babu (left) and Dr. Goyal (right)

With Dr. Mateo and Dr. Goyal 

(L to R: Asad, Moe, Thanh, Ansab, Dr. Mateo, me, Sara, Alex, Dr. Goyal)

Moe did an excellent job with the selfie taking! Above L to R: Moe, Asad, Ansab, Ash, me

Below L to R: Moe, Ansab, Asad, Alex, Nicole, me, Thanh, Sara, Adrian

And finally, to show that I didn't just party at the end of residency! ;)

Graduating chiefs with the Chief of Surgery, Dr. Latifi

Second to last case of residency. A Whipple with Dr. Veillette and Dr. Stewart. (My last case today was a PSARP (posterior sagittal anorectoplasty) with Dr. Stewart). Last chief still operating! :)

My last team of residency, L to R: Thanh (intern), Sara (med student), Enea (rotator)

No one knew that Enea was joining us for the block; he just showed up one day. Honestly a bit like an answer to a pray I didn't even know I had. It was busy, Thanh was gone a few days, and he did an excellent job. Would have survived either way, but made such a huge difference to have the extra team member. 

Love and Prayers!

P.S. I stopped and took this video on my way out of the hospital. In all my years at WMC - MFCH I have never been able to understand why such frightening characters decorate the hallways of a children's hospital. 

Estoy realizando una cirugía.

 Today was the day. I rolled out of bed and coffee in hand stumbled into the hospital, my heart rate an uptick faster than normal. I received the consult last week, an incidentally found mediastinal mass, and initially didn't pay it much mind. Probably was trying to get my work done, but when I sat down to actually investigate the case..... I eventually came to the conclusion and texted my Attending, "I think he needs surgery. Can we do it next Tuesday?" To which he responded, "yes" like any good Attending would do. But I'll be honest, I was nervous. A new feeling for me. There is always a normal healthy appreciation for the potential risks of any operation, but this one was different. For days I had been praying for this kid. I am unable to expound per se on my mental exercises in preparation, but the nervousness stuck with me.

The surgery went beautiful. So elated I was when we finished that I told my attending I could hug him. I was so happy. I believe he was just as happy, and confessed he himself had never done such a surgery either. I'm so glad he told me that only after the case was already over. I find I am able to permit myself an increased boldness in my surgery if I feel like there would be someone to get me out of a sticky situation. Whereas, if I can not rely on my Attending, my boldness is limited to what extent I feel I can get myself out of a sticky situation. 

I was able to book a handful of nice cases for my last week on surgery residency. The above mentioned case just one of the handful. Otherwise we've had our days of outpatient cases, and then of course our daily appy's. For the first 4weeks I was on service we had avoided the horrible perfed appys. Then two weekends ago, someone put out a special of two perfed appys for the price of one, and the bellys full of pus came rolling in. We are still working to get them home again. Unfortunately, with a perfed appy, there's not actually much we can do in that aspect. It's a waiting game. Although sometimes we have to intervene. For example, one perfed appy last week, was a rather large child. No joke... way bigger than I am. And he couldn't not eat. Seriously, he would eat, then vomit. Eat again, then vomit again. Eat. Vomit. Eat. Vomit. We finally cancelled his diet order. I usually like to leave a diet order on, as long as I can trust the child to eat only as he/she desires and not a bit more. But I guess, it's not always as clear to a child that they should not eat if it's making them sick. 

Love and Prayers!

3 days!

Estoy jugando al ping pong.

 Party #2 was hosted by Dr. Cerabona. Two years ago, as a PGY3, I was acting chief on the Minimally Invasive Surgery service. At that time I was able to convince Dr. Cerabona to host a pizza party for the residents. We all came and ate pizza, then sat around the kitchen table playing games. It was a great time. Then last year COVID happened, and looked like it was going to carry over to this year as well, but at the very last possible date, the stars aligned. Dr. Cerabona responded then by "upping the ante" from a pizza party to a pig roast. 

Upping the ante.

Attending presence. L to R: Dr. Savino and Mrs. Savino. Dr. Policastro. Dr. Cerabona and Mrs. Cerabona. Dr. Kaul and Mrs. Kaul, Dr. Babu and Dr. Babu, Dr. Goyal and Mrs. Goyal,

Resident presence: Ben, G, Christina, Monica, Dr. Cerabona, Ansab, Vasu, Inkyu, Faisal, Sara, Kamil, Ida

Thank you Dr. Cerabona!

Chief presence: Vasu, Ansab, Me (Ash was helping his brother move in Philly)

I was playing a nice game of Ping Pong with Sara. Dr. Bhuta comes up and after watching for a few minutes declares that we are "playing like babies!" She was then of course invited to play a few!

L to R: Kamil, Vasu, Ansab, Dr. Cerabona, me, Faisal

Love and Prayers!

8 days. 1 call.