#WorldBookDay #DrSeussDay #ILookLikeAPlasticSurgeon
Today, March 3, 2016, is #WorldBookDay and it is trending on Twitter. One of my favorite tweets, showing some of the world’s most exquisite libraries. They look to be true museums of the mind! It seems appropriate to me as a life-long educator that this day follows yesterday’s celebration of #ReadAcrossAmerica and #DrSeussDay. I have fond memories of reading our favorite Dr. Seuss book to our own two boys who are now grown men, one of whom has a son of his own. We would sit them in our lap or beside us in a comfy chair and read The Cat in the Hat.
Teachers love Dr. Seuss Day in their classrooms. It gives them an opportunity to wear the beloved hat or costume that has become so familiar across the U.S. and globe. It is a day that gives them an opportunity to simply enjoy the love of books all day no matter how they integrate it into the curriculum. The unique and familiar rhymes of Dr. Seuss never go out of style and in fact are mimicked in a variety of ways.
As an advocate for breast reconstruction after mastectomy I engage with plastic surgeons, and in particular micro-surgeons on a daily basis. I lean on them for evidence based research and information to share with those men and women who are interested in finding out the science behind breast reconstruction. I will admit I have a bit of a soft spot in my heart for them. I appreciate the profession they chose and the dedication it took because some of my own family members have gone through the rigors of medical school. I know that microsurgery requires a longer and more arduous training than many medical specialties.
Not all tweets for #microsurgery and #BreastReconstruction are about evidence based medicine. There are tweets that bring a human element to the profession like the hash tag, #ILookLikeAPlasticSurgeon. Many of these surgeons are parents with young children at home. Some post pictures of themselves with their children and it truly gives us a glimpse behind the mask. They may spend hours, upwards of 9-12 hours, in the OR looking through surgical loupes and strong microscopes to tie together blood vessels, disconnect tissue only to be reconnected to make a new breast mound after a woman has had a mastectomy from breast cancer.
Dr. Karen Horton, not to be confused with the famed Horton Hears a Who, is mother of twin girls. She sits with her twins in this photo and says she enjoyed Seuss books as a child and now reads them to her daughters.
Dr. Daniel Liu told me after reading The Sneetches to his own girls he noticed an “eerily accurate comparison to modern #plasticsurgery. This segment of the book may sum that up.
“My friends,” he announced in a voice clear and keen,
“My name is Sylvester McMonkey McBean.
And I’ve heard of your troubles. I’ve heard you’re unhappy.
But I can fix that. I’m the Fix-it-Up Chappie.
I’ve come here to help you. I have what you need.
And my prices are low. And I work at great speed.
And my work is one hundred per cent guaranteed!”
So today, I honor the skilled micro-surgeons and those “Fix-It-Up-Chappies” as they show the human side of their profession celebrating all things Dr. Seuss with their children. I’m going to assume that after a long day in the OR that this is what gives them balance; a snuggle, a warm smile, being a Mommy or Daddy and sharing the love of reading with their children. Thank you to Dr. Karen Horton and Dr. Daniel Liu for sharing these precious pictures and letting us glimpse into your personal world.
Reading to your children brings added value to their lives and to yours!