I owe you an apology: I was wrong and need to admit it. My presidential column in the last issue of the Bulletin chided members for not being more volunteer-minded and for not contributing more to their professional organizations. A recent survey that revealed that the majority of AANS members did not know the name of the organization’s president had particularly disturbed me, so I went about exposing this formidable lack of volunteerism.
Sept. 11, 2001, changed everything. Within hours of the attacks on New York City and Washington D.C., I sent an e-mail to our members asking them to assist and support their colleagues on the East Coast. Although most of us were still reeling, unable to believe what had happened or trying to determine the remaining risks to ourselves and others, neurosurgeons from all over the world responded immediately. The number of replies I received from the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America simply overwhelmed me.
A note from Kolya Khachatrian, Secretary of the Armenian Neurosurgical Association, was representative of the many letters of sympathy we received in the days following the disaster.
Dear Colleagues,
We were strongly shocked to hear of the terrorism in America. Our consolation to all the families who have injured victims and all the American people. Your sorrow is ours, too. We neurosurgeons feel this more because we have to deal with this in all life.
The Armenian neurosurgeons and Armenian people are with you with all their hearts.
Our consolation and our sincere spiritual wishes and the blessings of God to decry your sorrow.
Letters such as this one, as well your immediate responses to my call for volunteers, poignantly remind me that we are indeed a dedicated and compassionate group. More important, these gestures and actions demonstrate the extent to which we connect with our profession and with our unique ability to heal the sick and injured.
Prepared for Disaster
The AANS may call upon you to test this ability in ways never imagined just a few weeks ago. In fact, the events of Sept. 11 exposed our organization’s need to develop a disaster readiness plan so that we can mobilize neurosurgeons within minutes of a national disaster. In response, I have asked our staff to compile, maintain, and update a list of neurosurgeons who are willing to remain on call for a national emergency. These neurosurgeons are prepared to drop everything and travel to the site of a national crisis to provide neurosurgical services to victims. To add your name to the list of volunteers, contact Heather Monroe, AANS director of communications, at [email protected].
The days when I was troubled over whether or not AANS members knew the name of their organization’s president seem far away now, but perhaps they are not as far as they seem. The purpose of any professional organization is to build a community that comes together for a common purpose, a purpose larger than any one of its members. The AANS is our neurosurgical community at a time when the value of such kinship is so apparent, and we must rededicate ourselves to its strength and purpose in times of crisis and of calm.
Strengthened by Adversity
I am inspired by the tremendous groundswell of volunteerism that arose from the unimaginable catastrophe that befell our country, and I thank all of you for responding with courage and compassion. I am confident that we can carry this volunteer spirit into the future. The resolve we have shown will serve us well in many ways when the current crisis subsides. I am very proud to serve as president of this outstanding group.
Stan Pelofsky, MD, is the 2001-2002 AANS president.