How far will your doctor go for you – some, it appears, will even go even halfway across the world! Meet Dr. Vokwelly Evehe, a senior surgeon from Cameroon. When he advised his patient and friend of many years that he would require a complex surgery not done in Cameroon and would have to go … Read more
My work is full of adult interactions involving serious illness and complicated treatments – not the brightest or most cheerful of work environments. When a young child with sparkly eyes and a bubbly smile walked up to me and presented this card, it was a refreshing change indeed. An unexpected ray of sunshine in an … Read more
A long and tiring day of surgery. Afterward, there are still rounds to do, pre-operative and post-operative patients to be seen. Lab reports to go through and act upon. Then read up for a difficult surgery the following day. But there is a short time before all that. A moment to bask in the glow … Read more
41-year-old Ravindran had come down to Bangalore from San Francisco for a family visit. When he took his father for an annual health check-up, he thought he may as well get one himself. To his and his family’s surprise, a routine abdominal ultrasound showed that Ravindran had a 4 cm tumor in his right kidney, … Read more
“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do much.” – Helen Keller Last week, I had the privilege of operating alongside Dr Narendra, a cardiothoracic surgeon and my friend of 30 years. It was a challenging surgery – the patient, a young girl had a cancerous tumor going from her neck down into … Read more
Note by Dr Suraj Manjunath : This is a guest post by Haripriya Suraj. Haripriya is a wellness practitioner, author, and early childhood educator. As my better half, she has been my source of support and inspiration through our years together. In this post, she shares insights from a walk with a friend who is … Read more
Last week Google (Google Doodle) celebrated Espresso Coffee Machine inventor Angelo Moriondo’s birth anniversary. This brought me back memories of a coffee machine in the USA. I was never much of a coffee drinker. But at the teaching hospital in Bangalore where I worked from 2006 to 2017, coffee in between surgeries was an enjoyable … Read more
The big brown eyes seemed to hold deep wisdom. Even while I was talking with her mother, six-year-old Gowri’s (name changed) gaze never left my face. She appeared to be assessing me. “Oh yes, she understands all that we say,” her mother said, “But she doesn’t talk to strangers.” Throughout her pre-operative evaluation over the … Read more
Once, at a social gathering, the host introduced a friend of hers to me and referred to her as a ‘Cancer Patient.’ I could see that being referred to in this manner made the woman uncomfortable. However, she seemed to know that the host didn’t mean to offend her. She took it lightly and said … Read more
Note by Dr Suraj Manjunath : This is a guest post by Haripriya Suraj. Haripriya is a wellness practitioner, author, and early childhood educator. As my better half, she has been my source of support and inspiration through our years together. This post is based on a real-life incident. “I need to speak to Suraj, … Read more