Viruses Have Been The Objects Of My Research

I have an amazing story I’ve been waiting for the chance to tell. Not all of us are fortunate enough to encounter unexplained, unexpected, deeply moving, and mysterious moments in medicine. When he walked out of the hospital more than two months after the near drowning and his heroic rescue of his little brother, we all cheered and cried. We had cried many times in the weeks preceding, and I still cry whenever I tell this story. That was the first medical miracle in my career, and it has stuck with me for decades. Over the years, I would tell colleagues and trainees about that experience, and occasionally one of them would tell me of their own miraculous experience. I sent the essay to physician colleagues and invited them to write to me about similar experiences they may have had. But the remaining responses were most exciting for me. Those colleagues immediately replied with Oh my goodness! The essays from my colleagues moved me greatly. America’s Leading Physicians Share Stories They Can’t Forget. Albert Einstein said, There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.

Shut Out The Light

And you needn’t be in a hospital or clinic to witness miracles. Just look out a window and tell me how to explain anything you see. Can we really explain rain? Can we create any of them from scratch? Hummingbirds are miraculous, aren’t they, with the highest metabolic rate per body mass of any living animal and wings that beat up to eighty times per second. Not to be outdone, humpback whales also migrate more than 5,000 miles each year, from the cold waters where they feed to the warm waters where they give birth. Dolphins talk to one another, as do whales, but it turns out ants and gnats communicate as well. And what of the environment that supports these diverse species? Isn’t our atmosphere a miracle, a perfect blend of gases that allow us to breathe while also allowing plants to breathe? I even find viruses to be miraculous. Viruses have been the objects of my research for decades, and I’ve published dozens of medical and scientific papers about them. No one yet has created even a single virus from scratch. Indeed, the evidence for miracles is just outside our windows. They require a quiet examination of your own faith to believe, and therefore to behold. Nevertheless, they contain the sort of power that alters life trajectories, as does the miracle that is more tangible and, while also inked by faith, is delivered by another person. See how a simple gesture can spark an inferno of goodwill, a miracle in its own right.

There's No Power In Pity

It was a typical day at the beach. I spent the day with one of my good friends, laying in the sun, swimming in the ocean, and just enjoying the warm summer air. As the day turned into late afternoon, we thought we’d go for one more swim. The waves had become a little more turbulent and we thought we’d get one more good session of body surfing in before we called it quits and drove home. It was a decision that could’ve altered our lives forever. It certainly changed the course of events that day. As we swam out into the water preparing ourselves for body surfing, the sun tucked behind some clouds and the wind picked up. We didn’t realize that, during all of our splashing, laughing, and looking for the big one that we could surf into shore, we had gone pretty far out. The waves started picking up more, and before we knew it, they were coming in fast and furious, over our heads. The sea was angry and rough, and I knew that things had taken a turn for the worse. One particular wave towered over me, crashed on top of me, and pulled me under. Horrified, I realized that the undertow was pulling me out to sea.

Little By Little

I kicked as hard as I could, reaching for the surface, until I was finally able to poke my head above the water and gasp for air. I looked around for my friend. She was nowhere in sight. I kicked even harder this time, and as I finally pulled myself up, I turned around and saw my friend about 50 yards farther out to sea. It looked like she had given up. Her arms were flopped down by her sides as she got scooped up into a huge wave. I saw her mouth the word help. I started to swim toward her, yelling her name, but another wave came and pushed me down again. I started kicking as hard as I could. I resolved that I wouldn’t give up, telling myself, I have strong legs, I’m a dancer, I can do this. And I kicked with all my might, swimming until I was almost all the way in. He dove into the water and swam parallel to the shore under the water. He swam, I imagine with the undertow instead of against it, and miraculously made it to my friend who had gotten pulled way out behind me and to my right. He lifted her up over the waves and pushed her into shore with every surge of the water. We were exhausted, still shaking, but so grateful that we made it in. We were grateful for this young man who came out of nowhere to help us. We thanked him, and thanked him, and thanked him again. Words didn’t seem to be enough. We made a friend that day. And we stayed connected. The reason I tell you the story is twofold. My friend and I were in similar circumstances, hers a little bit more intense than mine. We had two different thought patterns going through our minds as I learned when we spoke afterward. She was telling herself she was going to die, and I was telling myself I was going to make it. Do you know your value?