Surprise!

Well, well, well.

I do LOVE surprises

and I got a BIG one!

My New York trip was aborted at the 11th hour!

Here's the scoop . . .

Last week, Dr. Boachie, my most distinguished surgeon, was HERE in UTAH for a conference where he was coronated as the incoming president of the international Scoliosis Research Society.

After four days of conferencing, Dr. B called my cell and suggested that we get together for breakfast in the morning.

I said, "Breakfast? I have a plane to catch early in the morning so I can see YOU in New York City!"

" Well," he responded, "Forget THAT!"

So, there I was, having just zipped up my suitcase, all prepared to LEAVE in a few hours, and SERENDIPITY came my way! Within fifteen minutes, I . . .

1. Cancelled the way-too-expensive hotel room.

2. Obtained a $359 "credit" for my flight purchase.

3. Pulled out my blueberry muffin recipe to start breakfast preparation.

(NOTE: Adaptability and speed are my forte, due to twenty years of running a childcare center where everything CAN and DOES happen . . . and you'd better take care of it QUICKLY!)

Early the next morning, I packed up a mostly-prepared breakfast, picked up Dr. B along with two research assistants from their hotel and we headed over to my brother's place.*

*My bro lives closer to downtown Salt Lake City
and it's far more desirable than my humble abode for entertaining.

When we arrived, I put the doctor in charge of figuring out why the stove wasn't working while the research assistants and I cut up the fruit. Eventually, the eggs were scrambled in the microwave and breakfast was served at the bar.
(Dr. B's diagnosis of the stove was that the gas had been turned off while my bro and wife were in Europe. Thus, the microwave.)

After devouring too much good food,
I got my appointment with
the traveling physician who
answered my 1,00,000 questions.

Of course, he needs to review some current x-rays, but everything looked GREAT.

We then took a tour of the gardens around the home, which got these city slickers OOHING and AHHING.


















Since the urbanites seemed to crave NATURE, I suggested a little excursion up into the nearby mountains which was met with GREAT ENTHUSIASM all around.

It only took about ten minutes to be right up in the pines.

Dr. B hiked to some waterfalls not far from the road. His non-gripping shoes were slipping on the wet rocks, but he eventually got the

UP-CLOSE EXPERIENCE

with the elements which he desired.

Soon we reached Snowbird Resort where we boarded the ski tram
that carried us up, UP, UP
to 'Hidden Peak'

. . . over 11,000 ft. altitude.

That was a real TRIP for these flat-landers!
Dr. B and his research assistants

Dr. B and myself with the Salt Lake Valley behind us.

My dear surgeon REALLY wanted to 'HOOF IT' back down to the lodge. He had NO IDEA how challenging that would be!

"I know you specialize in spines, but you gotta think about KNEES here!" I said.

As I was driving my guests back the hotel, we discussed the work in Ghana where my surgeon and sixty other physicians are doing pro-bono orthopedic surgeries on children.

FOCOS is the foundation established by Dr. Boachie to address complex spinal issues on the African continent.

If you would be interested in helping pay for a child's surgery, go here to see the children who need sponsorship. Since the surgeons' time and the medical hardware are donated, these surgeries are performed at a fraction of the 1st World pricetag. A twisted spine is not just a horrible deformity, it's a life of tormenting pain.

Dr. B. encouraged me to come to Ghana and be a part of the support team for the surgeons, when I fully recover. Now, THAT would be such incredibly meaningful service for this little Utah gal who finally . . .

STRAIGHTENED UP!