The bombings at the Boston Marathon are another example
of senseless violence. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected
and their families. My wife’s brother crossed the finish line about a minute
and a half before the first explosion. We are particularly grateful that he was
not injured. But we know that others were not as lucky.
I was the Chief Medical Officer at Boston Medical Center
on September 11, 2001. BMC is the largest trauma center in New England. On that
horrible day, we stood ready to aid overflow victims from New York City….but
none came. I remember reflecting that week that we were in a large brotherhood
and sisterhood of care providers and even though we didn’t know many people in
the New York City hospitals, we felt their pain and stress and wished that
there was more that we could do to help.
Today, I feel the same solidarity with my colleagues in
Boston. We at GBMC and at other hospitals in Baltimore stand united with the
Boston Medical Center team and with the other Boston area hospitals.
We feel their pain and we unite in spirit to alleviate
suffering and bring a ray of hope in the aftermath of a horrible event.
The news about an innocent 8-year-old boy being one of
those who tragically lost his life while waiting to greet his father after he
finished the race is especially devastating. As a father and a pediatrician, I
am sure many parents, in addition to trying to process this
senseless tragedy themselves, may also be wondering what resources are available to help
them discuss this with their children.
The American Academy
of Pediatrics has a detailed tip sheet “Talking to Children About Disasters” and Claire McCarthy, M.D., a pediatrician and Medical
Communications Editor at Boston
Children's Hospital,
assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a senior editor
for Harvard Health Publications, provides some excellent suggestions in her column, "After the Boston Marathon explosions, what parents should do first."
Great resource ... thank you. I found it very difficult to explain to my 11 year old daughter why and how this could happen.
ReplyDeleteJohn:
ReplyDeleteMy son was 5 months old on 9/11. Now he's 12 and watched the coverage of the Boston bombings yesterday. We also had a friend in our beach running club who ran the race, but fortunately finished ahead of the attack.
I was struck by the doctors being interviewed and how they must partition their emotions in order to get the job done, but they all do it with professionalism in times like this.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people affected. Hopefully justice and some sense of future prevention will prevail.
I'm happy to hear that your brother-in-law was safe, and wonder at the randomness of violence in the midst of celebrating athletic achievement. My heart breaks for the parents of that 8-year-old little boy.
ReplyDeleteI was working at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Manchester, CT during 9/11 and we were all on notice that we might be needed in New York or the Connecticut hospitals just outside the city. Sadly, it was quickly clear that our assistance would not be necessary. But the first responders then, like yesterday, put others ahead of their own safety. They are the heroes among us.
My thoughts and prayers goes out to everyone affected by this senseless crime. We as Americans must come together and find a way to protect use from anymore horrible days like this.
ReplyDeleteHopefully this individual or group of people can be brought to justice.