textSize : default : medium : large    n this issue, the 'things' are people and they are dedicated doctors, teachers and nurses. These are people who make a difference and I've been reminded of that in a number of ways in the past couple of months. Three Great Physicians 1. Mountains Beyond Mountains By Tracy Kidder This is the story of Paul Farmer, who is testament to the fact that one person can make a difference. It's the story of a young doctor who established a hospital and general health care center in rural Haiti. Working with minimal resources he takes on AIDS, TB and a myriad of problems, many of them associated with poverty and poor education. He is so successful, that his containment of AIDS is better than that in most Western countries. His work with TB has become a model for much of the rest of the world. It's an utterly compelling read. Recent events in Haiti with the democratically elected Aristide being deposed, might well mean the end of Farmer's work, as the old order of the followers of the Duvaliers and the Ton-Ton Macoute try to claw their way back into power. 2. Another doctor making a difference is Bill Magee, who created an organization called Operation Smile [www.operationsmile.org]. He spoke immediately before me at the World Critical Illness Insurance Conference. Given the title of his organization I thought he might be humorous and perhaps a tough act to follow. But Bill Magee is a plastic surgeon who has dedicated his life to physically making it possible for people to smile by rebuilding their mouths and faces. He has created a dedicated task force of surgeons, nurses, health professionals and other support staff who volunteer their time to go to 3rd world countries and do their miraculous work. Two of the statements he made still stay in my mind. "Knowledge alone is not enough, it has no heart." "Any child shackled by deformity is a tragedy. If you ignore those children, you are the tragedy." 3. Before Dr. Magee spoke there was a presentation by another extraordinary physician, Dr, Marius Bernard. One remarkable accomplishment would satisfy most people, but Dr. Bernard has three. In 1967 he was part of the surgical team, led by his brother, Christian, that accomplished the first human heart transplant. He worked with Nelson Mandela to bring about an end to apartheid. He was aware that many people who could benefit from modern surgical advances, were unable to afford the procedures, so he created the concept of Critical Illness Insurance, which would cover the costs of medical procedures, rehabilitation and, if necessary, job retraining. Quite a trifecta. We may not have the privilege of hearing Dr. Bernard again in North America as he has advanced prostate cancer and finds the long trip from South Africa tiring. For more about Critical Illness Insurance go to www.criticalinsurance.ca or call Alphonso Franco in Victoria at 250-995-2274. Great Teachers and Nurses This all came together in an evening to celebrate the life of Adella Krall, an elementary school teacher, and the work done by the doctors and nurses of the Vancouver General Hospital's Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Adella had multiple myeloma and felt that the care, treatment and love she received from the staff gave her an extra 5 or 6 years of life. During this time she celebrated and treasured every moment and watched her daughter, Diana, become one of the world's great jazz performers as a singer and pianist. Adella died before Diana's marriage to Elvis Costello but the connection remained as Diana turned to one of the nurses from VGH to be a bridesmaid. Diana honors her mother and raises money for the BMTU by performing a fund raising concert when her schedule allows. This year, Nancy and I joined 500 people at the Hotel Vancouver to hear Diana, her new husband Elvis and their friend, Elton John. It was magic and I was particularly impressed by Elton who bid in the auctions, sang requests and was friendly and funny. Diana said, "When you live the way my mum did you get so much back." Megastars and musicians can give us much pleasure, but in the background are the teachers, doctors and nurses whose reward is in doing their jobs and giving us life in so many ways. For more about the Krall Family Fund go to www.multiplemyeloma.org/foundation This just goes to show that if you look cool, dress well and work out on the weights you might get to marry a beautiful, talented megastar. Elvis circa 1971 Elton John introduced himself by saying, "This will be a bit of an anti-climax, you've had Elvis, Diana and now a little man wearing a table cloth." Elton flew back to LA that night but called Diana the next day to say he hadn't enjoyed a benefit like that for years and years.

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