Looking back on 2008

I've been meaning to upload this video from Iraq. Now seems to be a good time as I'm looking back on the year that's just passed.

The best part of 2008 for me was getting to volunteer at the PAD (Patient Administration Flight) at the hospital in Balad, Iraq. There I helped to offload wounded and ill patients from helicopters and ambulances and take them into the ER.

It was a simple thing really. . . It just took a few minutes. It couldn't be done alone. It didn't even require a college degree -- just took a little training and practice. But for a few of those patients we offloaded, they were being medevac'd to save their lives, and we were a tiny part of that process. Simply put: It felt good. And it was an incredible adrenaline rush.

On this particular offload, friends Phil, Morgan and Hisey were part of the team. I spent a lot of time with them just sitting around waiting for the next helo -- we watched TV (including much of the Olympics, presidential debates, and bad movies), played foosball, did crosswords, BS'd, anything we could to pass the time.

We couldn't wish for a helo, because that would mean wishing for someone to be sick or ill. I finally came up with the right response though. If it's going to happen, I want it to happen on my watch so that I can help.

As a volunteer, I was allowed to stay in the ER and watch the medical staff work. Typically so many people surrounded the patient that I didn't get to see much. Still, I was inspired.

The more time I spent in the hospital, the more I came to see it as a living, breathing organism. With a father who is a retired surgeon and a mother who was trained as a nurse, I was exposed to medicine my entire childhood and, frankly, never had much interest in it. Some would say I avoided it at all costs.

So being a part of this organism was something of an epiphany to me; I started to get why people find medicine so invigorating. Wow, that's a first.