Ethiopia: extreme medicine yields extreme rewards
An upcoming medical lecture scheduled later this month will shed light on the transformative practice of medicine, treatment and healing in assisting vulnerable communities in Ethiopia.
Dr Rick Hodes
Dr Rick Hodes is an American world-renowned physician who specialises in spinal conditions, cancer cases and heart disease and has worked tirelessly in the developing world for over three decades. His mission is to improve and enhance the quality of life for so many with seriously debilitating illnesses. To date, Dr Hodes has saved countless lives, despite facing testing and challenging ongoing circumstances.
He will be in Sydney this month for the first time sharing his sage insights about the practice of extreme medicine in extreme conditions. Despite so many daily hurdles, he is at the frontier of his field with the full support of the Joint Distribution Committee (The Joint). Dr Hodes yields extreme rewards for the betterment of individuals who travel far and wide to see him – some are homeless; some live in mud houses without electricity and all are offered treatment and travel-related expenses at no cost. Given dire circumstances, hopeful potential patients trek from far and wide – they simply do not have a Plan B.
Ethiopia has a population of 121 million inhabitants and Dr Hodes is the country’s sole spinal surgeon. Bires Gashu, a determined young man with severe spinal deformities (which were alarmingly exacerbating over time), journeyed on foot for over eight days, covering four hundred exhausting kilometres with one aim: to be examined and treated by Dr Hodes, whose reputation precedes him.
Urgent assessments were made; complex surgeries were undertaken and today, brave Bires has his life (and smile) back in the fullest, most heart-warming sense. One patient. One clinic. One devoted Jewish doctor. For Bires, the pendulum of possibility to live an active and functional life has swung from impossible to possible.
To date, more than one thousand patients within The Joint’s Spine and Heart programs have been helped in the most profound sense, in addition to other complex cases that fall outside these two umbrella categories. Frequently, life-saving reconstructive surgeries can’t be performed in Ethiopia, yet patients are cared for and sent abroad to receive the best possible treatments – all in the spirit of Tikkun Olam, healing the world.
Dr Hodes personifies the phrase Ohr L’Goyim – via his work directing JDC’s non-sectarian medical programs, he is, indeed, a light unto so many nations and to us all. He lives a life of profound purpose and continues to garner a wealth of unique medical experience throughout his extraordinary career.
Dr Hodes is focused on the future and is involved in training Ethiopian surgeons, such as in the life-changing specialty of lengthening magnetic growing rods. All is to ensure this lasting legacy of holistic healing continues in this developing region for generations to come.
He will be presenting a fascinating lecture on Extreme Medicine in Ethiopia, specifically exploring severe cases of spinal deformities, jaw tumours, late-stage cancer and more. It will be both enlightening and educational for all attendees – not to be missed!
Dr Rick Hodes ‘Extreme Medicine’ lecture will be held on Thursday November 24th at 6:15pm within the UNSW Colombo Theatre A, Kensington Campus, Gate 4, High Street Kensington.
Registration is complimentary, it is essential to reserve your seat, visit:
https://drct-thejoint.prod.supporterhub.net/events/unsw-extreme-medicine-nsw
