Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Brief encounter

Today I went to the 2nd Michael E. DeBakey lecture. The speaker was a charming Egyptian who does research in London, has been knighted for his work and also works to help certain African groups in their struggle to better themselves.He spoke about heart disease and its treatment with implanting a pump to help the heart pump better. It was more than that---dealing at a microscopic level, at a cellular level; in terms that I knew nothing about.
Before the talk began (the place was full) Mrs DeBakey came in; Rob introduced her to the speaker, then to most of us in the front rows, including me..
When the session was over, I remained seated till every one was streaming out. Mrs. DeBakey came over to me. She speaks with an accent (German), which made my understanding her much more difficult. When she asked me where I lived, I told her about our moving to Houston in '49 and how much her husband had done for Methodist, Baylor, the Medical Center, Houston, the field of medicine,and on and on. I said I was present when medical history driven by her husband was being made and I considered it a honor to watch.She thanked me.