Thank goodness for continuing medical education, as without it we might not get to travel to warm and sunny places such as Maui.  This year I decided on a pain management conference which just so happened to be in Hawaii, bummer huh?

Even though we love Juneau, I have to admit that the warm sun sure felt good.  We both also enjoyed slowing down a bit and catching up on some long over due reading.  

As I see a lot of chronic pain in my practice, I was anxious to attend this conference and learn more about non-invasive alternative approaches to pain management. From the beginning I knew I was with a different bunch of intellectuals, but in a surprisingly good way.  

We started each day with yoga by the ocean, followed by lectures on preventative medicine, stress management, nutrition, exercise acupuncture, and EFT (emotional freedom technique) / Tapping.  One of the speakers was Dr. Michael Roizen, a preventative medicine  physician at the Cleveland Clinic, or better known for his regular appearances on the Dr. Oz show and for his You book series.  Another presenter was psychologist Lori Leyden, who has been working with genocide victims in Rwanda and survivors from Sandy Hook.  She is well known for her success with tapping acupressure points in the management of stress, depression, and trauma relief. 

I was very impressed with the evidence to back up stress and its correlation to chronic pain and disease. Although I have always considered this connection, I am now more convinced than ever about their relationship in regards to health and illness. The biggest take home point for me was the importance of daily medication/ breathing exercises or prayer.  Although I try to do this daily, I admit to being very undisciplined at times. The evidence suggests that at least 15 minutes twice a day of mindful meditation can decrease the risk for many diseases including: heart disease, depression, arthritis, insomnia, arthritis, and even some cancers.  And, those are just a few among the growing list. 

The medical field has pondered the mind-body connection for a long time, and most recently has begun to embrace the powerful conduit through which emotional, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly affect our health.  For me, the thought that I can harness my thoughts to positively influence some of my body's physical responses is extremely empowering.  I am beginning to see the wisdom in the Socrates quote that " there is no illness of the body, apart from the mind."

I also admire this about Ian. He is very diligent and disciplined in his practice of daily medication and mindfulness. Maybe this explains his unshakable peaceful presence and natural glow?

So whats up with the giant sushi picture you may ask? Well, we spent 5 out of the 7 nights eating  avocado cucumber rolls. Ian just recently decided to give sushi a try once he realized that it can be served sans raw fish.  He has officially grown a Wasabi taste bud.

Even though Hawaii has sun, charm and great sushi, we were both glad to return to Juneau. The familiar smells and feel of home are always comforting. Sometimes though, even the pleasures of vacation can grow old. I am reminded that even in "paradise" one will not find true happiness or contentment, that is something only found from within.

Blessings and peace,
Sarah

 

Ian and I recently celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. I am not going to write about how wonderful he is, how fast time goes, or how blessed I am to have him for a husband……somehow that almost feels too cliche and lets be honest, no one really wants to hear that anyway . Instead I would rather share with you what these last 4 years have brought for us in a more personal way. For friends, family, and maybe even for the random person who stumbled upon our blog in a google search, there is much more I would rather share. 

Coming upon #4 I reflected back to our early married days. Three of the biggest things that have transformed during this time are: what now fills our conversations, the ways we pass the days, and the things we spend our money on.  Together, these have been catalysts for the renewal of our characters and the alterations in our habits. 

We went on an anniversary hike up Mt Jumbo. The following pictures are during this hike. 

I like to think that even without our move to Alaska our lives would still have evolved, however, I am sure that it did help speed the process! Since being here  I find that we pause more often and look more deeply into the present more than we ever have before.  Although we still talk about the future, being present in every moment is more important for us now. 

We also try to live more simply. Not only / most importantly, as the saying goes,  in order that others may simply live, but to regain our freedom from material stuff. 

Ian and I laugh at my shoe collection when we first met -  I seriously think I had at least 10 pairs of cowboy boots alone!  And besides my Vitamix, I think we have reached a point where the attachments to our material possessions are easier to sever.  And boy does cutting that cable feel good! 

For us, embracing simplicity really has been both life changing and utterly peace giving.  Two of my favorite books regarding simplicity are Radical Simplicity by Jim Merkel and Voluntary Simpicity by Duane Elgin. Definitely worth checking out for the curious and ready to simplify reader!  

OK, so I could probably let go of my Vitamix, but we sure wouldn't eat as well.  Which leads to another big change, (90% of the time) we are gluten free and vegan.  I have been a vegetarian since the age of 8, but Ian the cereal loving omnivore, only recently began his journey; and not only for reasons regarding animal cruelty, but also for the global impact and carbon footprint that our animal crazed food fetishes cause. Not to mention that our over processed food lifestyle and stress is probably the reason behind 99% of our diseases. 

In the past 4 years we have also become more involved and concerned with global affairs. In the past year alone I have probably read 50 books on genocide, the sex slave trade, illegal immigrants, child soldiers, poverty, and humanitarian organizations.  It is actually quite embarrassing that I had little knowledge regarding these atrocities before. However, since learning more, human rights and social justice issues have become my true passion and hence my desire to go back to school once again. 

Here are some of the organizations that I support or volunteer with:

• Friends of the Children of Haiti (FOTCOH.org) - a medical clinic in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.  You can also sponsor a child: helping them go to school, access clean water and food.  I will be meeting the child we sponsor, Blandine, next month! 

• Kilimanjaro Children’s Orphanage ( kiliophanagecentre.org) - an NGO set up to provide shelter, nutrition, safety, health care, and a long-term education to orphaned children at risk.  

• Children of Destiny Nicaragua (codn.org) - two children's orphanage in Jos Cedros and Jinotega, Nicaragua. It is through this organization that I have been traveling on medical mission trips for the past 4 years. You can also sponsor a child through their organization as well. 

• Rising International (risinginternational.org) -  an organization that sells handmade crafts by women living in the poorest and most dangerous place in the world. All the proceeds go to support these woman keeping both them and their families fed and off the streets. 

• Night Light International (nightlightinternational.com) -  this organization works to build relationships with victims of the sex slave trade by providing hope, intervention, rescue, and assistance through vocational training and selling of their handmade crafts / jewelery. 

This bear was a gift for a pregnant friend. I purchased it from the above organization Rising International. It was hand knittied by a survivor / widow from war torn Bosnia as a way to heal from the trauma, to make money to support her family, and to begin rebuilding her life. On the back of the bear she knitted her name. Also, you can't see it too well, but I am wearing a lovely handmade necklace purchased from NightLight. 

Although he also finds these issues important, Ian's interests lie mostly with the mysteries of God/The Absolute, life, man's purpose and how we make sense of it and live it out without destroying each other and our environment. Viable, green living and ways to tread more kindly on our Earth seem to keep his mind active and imagination reeling. 

Still I think the most important growth for us has been in our desire to know and connect with the Divine more intimately. If we do not go within, we truly go without. And, it is only by ways of spiritual growth that all the other changes in our life- from the foods we choose to nourish our bodies with to the organizations we choose to support - have been able to come about.  From the Source comes a source. 

In the last 4 years I have seen our desires reach toward the zenith and Source of love. To not only seek it, but to also find those barriers within ourselves that we have built up against it, to be a servant to it, a warrior with it, and a voice for it. 

Blessing

Sarah

P.S. Ian just read this blog and laughed, calling it the most hippie blog posting yet. 

What a lovely several weeks we have been having here in Juneau. It seems the Midwest has taken much of our winter and snow, leaving us with many clear sunny days. On days such as these, Juneau could rival any place in the world for beauty. 

And our Sunday was all about beauty.  I had read somewhere that we should see in everyone the brilliant work of the Divine in a uniform. This morning as we walked on the glacier towards the ice caves I realized that the Divine's uniform is truly all around us.  

As I stared out at the snow capped mountains with the glistening blue glacier in the forefront I truly felt connected to something greater than myself.  Without words my soul had a silent conversation with its Maker.  

I was very happy to share this with Ian. Thankfully even though Alaska has had an uncharacteristically warm winter and the glacier has had record amounts of recession, the ice caves are still present for us to explore.  

And, we only had to avoid a few cracks in the lake to get there. 

 So after a quick one mile hike across Mendenhall Lake, we came upon the mouth of the cave nestled up against the glacier.  

As we approached the entrance, the majestic glacier blue welcomed us to its mysterious home. 

It truly was unbelievable.  A million tons of glacier ice coalesced together forming a gigantic tunnel of frozen blue. 

And beneath the glacial tunnel you could hear the turbulent rivers of freshly melted water, making its way to the lakes below. 

As I sat from the inside facing the entrance I was struck by this view. At first it made me laugh….here I am in an ice cave beneath a melting glacier of which at any time could cave in and surely bring forth my demise. And what am I doing?  Staring at the light at the end of the tunnel. 

But as I thought about it more, the fear and cynicism faded. It was truly a beautiful thing, surrounded by darkness yet enfolded in light. 

It made me think about the light inside all of us.  I have met some who seem to shine all the time. I have also known beacons darker than others, and some so dark that they never realize they are a form of light at all.  

I confront this often with patients in my practice of medicine. And, I find it is one of the most tragic things that I encounter; those who fail to recognize the light that already lives inside them. 

 

I have learned that some of the toughest patients are those who have forgotten about this very truth.  Today as I stood peering out from the cave unto the radiant glow ahead, I reminded myself to give more grace and show more love….to myself and especially to others.  

For in a world that is often too busy and self servicing, its important to remember that it's not what you have on the outside that glitters in the light, but what you have on the inside that shines in the dark. 

It wasn't just today, but something I have been thinking about for a while; to live a life out of the abundance of my heart in service to others, and to connect with the source that gives it all meaning. 

Every person you meet is an opportunity to extend kindness, to share your light with them and to remind them of the light that lives inside all of us. So, use your beacon of hope as it was intended, to enrich your life and all those it shines upon. 

With love and peace-

January turned out to be a wonderful month, and a great beginning to the new year. It started with a very lovely trip to Michigan and Nashville to visit both my family and Ian's. Ian's sister, Bri,  is expecting twins in March, so it was fun to see her ever growing belly. Although I only got to spend one day with his family, I had a really great time being with them and watching Bri's children Amina and Malek play.

I also enjoyed spending time at home with my parents as well, perhaps one of my greatest trips home yet. Even though Michigan was at least 30 degrees colder then Alaska, crackling fires, hot tea, furry creatures, and good conversation kept me very comfortable. 

However, my greatest moment came after my dad found a scrapbook of love letters from my mom. All these years (close to 50) he had been collecting notes, cards, movie passes, etc and putting them into a scrapbook. I could do nothing but cry at these tender treasures.

As my parents, I seem to somehow forget that at one time they too were young lovers, starting off on an unexpected life journey. And after 47 years, their marriage is my greatest pride.  Giving me two brothers and best friends is a very close second. 

I love living in Alaska, however, if there was any grievance, it is the long and costly distance to see those I love back home. As a matter of fact,  I had not seen my brothers or their families in almost 1 year.  So, one of the first things I did was drive with my parents to Nashville to visit my brother Jason and his family. I could not believe how much my nieces, Micah and McClaine have grown in one year.

Micah now has larger feet then me, and we laughed at her giving me her hand me down shoes.  Even though our time together was short, (minus my giving Micah her first set of stitches at 2:00 am after loosing a fight with a ceiling fan) we had a wonderful time together.

Still I have to say that I am really proud of my brother Jason and sister-in-law, Susie. First as a couple and second as parents who have raised two beautiful girls: compassionate, sensitive to others, honest, and pure. As a bystander watching them interact with the girls, I noticed how they always make time to listen to them, never too busy to help or to play. As I watched  them invest in the lives of their children I realized how important this act of love really is.

And not just for the children of our world, but for all of its citizens as well. Investing in others,  intimately connecting with them, and showing selfless love, truly are the greatest things we have to offer each other. In fact, it is the framework that holds this world together.

We have been told about the survival of the fittest, the victory of the strongest, and the success of the cleverest. However, precious little is said about the glory of the most loving. I hope in my lifetime this changes, or at least in my sphere of influence it does. 

As for Jason and Susie, their example is shaping the young minds and hearts of their daughters to live this truth and be a part of the change. 

This spirit of love and giving strongly accompanied me as I traveled to Nicaragua on a medical mission trip. 

For starters, in my luggage I carried 5 soccer balls donated by my brother Jason, toys donated from my brother Blake, coloring books, crayons, match box cars, etc donated by my parents and colleagues along with 50 little dresses and 75 homemade little purses. 

Two of the dresses we made

It is hard to imagine the poverty that exists around the world. I am always taken by how little people survive on, how hard they work for food, and how much they continue to smile. 

This trip was very emotional for me, more than any trip prior. Perhaps it was because I had so many people back home donating for my cause, or because of the reactions that I received.  On three occasions when I gave a child a gift, toy, or purse, they actually gasped. 

This shy little girl was watching me from behind the door. When I motioned for her to come over and pulled out a kitty coloring book and crayons, she let out a gasp, as she shyly opened up her hands to receive the gift. Just as it did then, it still makes me cry remembering the joy this simple gift gave. 

And these brothers (wearing their best clothes to come see the doctor) told me that although they loved soccer, they have never owned a real ball. Their mother told me that they had made one out of an old T-shirt, sticks and socks. After I gave them the brand new soccer ball, they wouldn't put it down. 

One of the little purses we made

I am reminded of a bible verse in Isaiah;  if you spend yourself on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like noonday. This is exactly how it felt, not because of anything I had done or given, but because of the joy that love created. 

 I wish that all my donors could have shared in my experience. I can only say that it was truly life changing for me and thank each of them for loving the children and people of Nicaragua as I do.

I was extremely happy to have my fellow colleague, Jaclyn, come to Nicaragua this year with all of her emergency medicine expertise.  Even though this was her first ever medical mission trip, she handled it like a pro and I believe returned home changed as well.

Often in between patients I would look over to see a smiling Jaclyn, happily embracing all the head lice and scabies.

Even though we have been friends since our medical training almost 7 years ago, sharing this experience with her and seeing her tender reaction to the needs of others will always be a special memory in my heart. 

Here we are outside of one of our more modern offices.  

And here we are outside the more bucolic one. Notice our bathroom (outhouse) in the background. 

 One of my favorite things this year was using my new fetal heart doppler to hear fetal heart beats. In the developed world we often take for granted the frequency of prenatal ultrasounds and hearing our babies heart beats at each doctors visit.  For most women in the 3rd world, however,  they often do not get this chance to bond with their baby.

A little boy playing with the Matchbox car I gave him

So this year for each prenatal I saw I offered to give them the opportunity. As you can imagine, no one turned this down.  Two women even cried at hearing the fast lub-dub of the baby in their womb, and of course this made me cry as well.  Another reminder that in the end of things, we are all the same.  Mothers across boarders, languages, and creeds love just as we do here in the developed world.  I am so happy that I was able to share this with them.

 This woman came to us one year ago with horribly infected and necrotic leg wounds. Two years ago she was seen by an Italian team for her painful varicose veins. At their clinic they did a vein stripping and unfortunately she developed horrible leg wounds and ulcers. When we first saw her we thought she would most certainly die of sepsis (infection). We did the best we could in giving her supplies and antibiotics and told her to try to get to a local hospital for ongoing care.

One year later she shows up as my patient miraculously improved despite her 3rd world conditions. Even in the midst of no running water, no access to health care, and tropical climates, she managed to keep her wounds clean and covered still using the tattered ACE wraps that we gave her 1 year ago!  With smiles and many hugs she thanked us for coming back to help her again. All those who knew her just sobbed.  She is such a tangible blessing.

This year I also did some minor procedures. Here I am removing a large oral lesion from a woman's mouth. 

And here I am giving a lady a joint injection in her knee. 

As always our home base for the week was at an orphanage in Jinotega.  Since I love the story of the peace crane (as a matter of fact I wear my peace crane necklace everyday) I decided to show the little girls how to fold the origami versions. We had a great time with lots of laughs trying to make them fly.

A group of us also decided to hike a nearby mountain with some of the children. The views from the top were just amazing.

I would say this trip was an unbelievable success. With only 5 providers (two ER providers, one pediatrician, and two in family practice) we were able to see well over 1,000 patients. It truly feels good to help others, but more so to connect with them more intimately. I always leave truly honored to have been allowed to serve them and more convinced of the similarities that unite us all.

I am also convinced that a significant part of working in poor communities is discovering and appreciating what God has already been doing there for a long time.  They have not been forgotten by him, sadly, only by most of us.

I have also come to realize that the the spirit of the person is not only in the heart, but also in the hands. And it is only by joining them together and using them to help one another can things begin to change.  So as we go about our day, may we not forget our brothers and sisters abroad and may we not be afraid to join hands with them and create change.

Blessings
-Sarah