DOCTOR AIDS WOMEN AROUND GLOBE.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
You don't forget the young, scared faces of dozens of pregnant women you've operated on in Third World countries - not when they've walked across a hot desert for 10 hours, and rode on stifling, old buses for 20 hours or more just to see you, Dr. Sherry Thomas says Thomas Say (June 27, 1787 – October 10, 1834) was an American naturalist, entomologist, malacologist and carcinologist. He was a taxonomist and is often considered to be the founder of descriptive entomology in the United States and one of the founding fathers of the . The majority of them were not even out of their teens - 16- and 17-year- olds - hoping it wasn't too late to save them from being ostracized by their own families and husbands for giving birth to a dead baby. No, you don't forget those faces. Even months after returning to your Valley Village obstetrics obstetrics (ŏbstĕ`trĭks), branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of women during pregnancy, labor, childbirth (see birth), and the time after childbirth. practice and biting your tongue when you hear a patient in the waiting room complain about having to wait an extra half an hour to see the doctor. Thirty hours - half an hour. Different women, different worlds. Every year, Thomas, an OB, takes her vacation time and uses her own money to travel to Third World countries to treat pregnant women with vaginal fistula fistula (fĭs`ch  lə), abnormal, usually ulcerous channellike formation between two internal organs or between an internal organ and the skin. , a condition caused by prolonged obstructed ob·struct tr.v. ob·struct·ed, ob·struct·ing, ob·structs 1. To block or fill (a passage) with obstacles or an obstacle. See Synonyms at block. 2. labor without any medical assistance. Last year, in January, she paid $2,250 to fly 48 hours to the tiny country of Eritrea, just north of Ethiopia, for 10 days to operate on 20 of those young girls who walked and rode buses for 30 hours while in labor to see her. In June, she flew 36 hours to Niger in Africa for another 10 days to do the same for women in a country of 11 million people and only six doctors qualified to operate on women with fistula, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the International Organization of Women and Development, a humanitarian agency. This June, Thomas will use her vacation time to fly to Armenia for 10 days to treat poor women in that country with the same condition. ``She's just an incredibly dedicated surgeon who is passionate about her causes - giving her own time and money to help poor women in Third World countries,'' says Dale Surowitz, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, one of the area hospitals where Thomas performs surgeries. ``We weren't aware of her first trip, but when word got out what she was doing on her vacation time for these women, well, everyone at this hospital is extremely impressed by her dedication. ``It's all pretty incredible when you think of the effort these women have to go through for what we in this country take for granted.'' Thomas, who is single, doesn't think she's doing anything special. When you've been raised in a family where your father was a doctor and your mother a nurse, 24 hours a day, it has to rub off to clean anything by rubbing; to separate by friction; as, to rub off rust s>. See also: Rub on you. ``I worked at King-Drew (Medical Center) for 10 years, and saw many poor women from Third World countries,'' Thomas said. ``When I moved into my own practice, and started performing surgeries at Tarzana Medical Center and Los Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
``I felt like it was time for me to do some volunteer work,'' she said. When a group of doctors from Third World countries who are getting their medical training in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. asked Thomas if she wanted to be part of a humanitarian relief effort in Eritrea, Thomas jumped at the chance. ``I had been in Third World countries growing up, but never in the hospitals there,'' she said. ``It was a real eye-opener, seeing how the doctors make do with the little they have.'' When it was time to come home, half a dozen of the doctors with bright futures waiting for them back in the Unites States decided to stay. ``They gave up thousands to make pennies,'' Thomas said. ``The money didn't matter. The need did.'' The way she sees it, spending a few thousand dollars of her own money, and giving up her vacation time every year to save the babies of poor, pregnant women living in Third World countries isn't asking too much. ``If they're walking across a hot desert and riding on buses for 30 hours to see me, I'm going to be there for them.'' Dennis McCarthy, (818) 713-3749 dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Dr. Sherry Thomas uses her own vacation time to fly overseas and operate on expectant mothers in the Third World. Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
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