Reflections on Boston

  I have had a long term relationship with Boston.  My mother went to college in Boston--so she of course had a relationship with the city that pre-existed me, but my parents love Boston, so I have been going there since childhood.  This building, the Boston Haymarket, is my earliest favorite Boston venue.   I spent time in Boston during my college years in Providence.  It was just up the road a piece, and the lure of the city and music and food was enough to bring me there.  It is a city that was laid out in a time where apparently straight was not optimal in roads, and neither was the consideration that at some time in the future one might want to drive more than a cart down the city roads.  It is a challenging place to drive, as well as navigate.  It was before the era of GPS, so it was you, a good map, a hope and a prayer. And don't even get me started on parking.  My best friend in medical school lived there, and no matter what time we left her apartment in Bay Bay, even at 3 am, there was always someone there ready to take our parking space.

My last visit to Boston was for a much higher stakes reason.  My youngest son had a very tricky neurosurgery that he needed to have done, and for various reasons, a pediatric neurosurgeon in Boston was the man we thought was best suited to the job--thankfully, we did not make the wrong choice, so instead of sitting at his bedside for long hours, he was discharged less than 24 hours after he left the operating room, and we had a chance to enjoy a little bit of what Boston has to offer.

I love the city, and had a flood of all these memories when I heard that someone or a group of someones set off bombs during an event that is associated with endurance, overcoming challenges, and raising money for charity, making the finish line an emergency scene rather than one of accomplishment.  My sister in law is a marathon runner these days and I know several people who live in Boston, so those thoughts crossed my mid as well. But in the midst of so much violence, and our government and our society as a whole being so unwilling to make changes that would significantly change that, the image I want to hold onto is that of what people did right in Boston.  People rushed to the aid of those who had been hurt--with injuries that lead to a lot of bleeding, speedy travel to medical attention is the key to reducing death rates.  Instead of rushing away, many people rushed in.

I am very impressed by those who can quickly assess what needs to be done and then do it.  My heart is in the right place, but I am a slow to respond person--the shock of things makes me pause, and so I would never be amongst the very first people at such a disaster.  I would be the one who helped wheel people away rather than the one applying the tourniquet.  When I was an EMT, I saw many a bloody accident--I am comfortable with that, and I am gratified by helping people, but I am just not quick on my feet like some people were on Monday.  So hats off to all those who did nice things for their fellow man this week, and a special hats off to the first responders, the ambulance personnel and firemen especially, who routinely rush into situations that are hazardous to get people out alive.