Mentor

My mentor Bob has impacted and inspired me more than he knows. My admiration for many of his characteristics and skills, coupled with his unrelenting efforts to pour into my life, have resulted in a lifelong friendship

We met back in 2004, when I chose an elective medical school surgery rotation at a hospital in Southern Togo. In 1985 Bob had helped start that hospital. After raising four sons in an austere environment, family health concerns transitioned him back to residence in Michigan. However, a large part of his heart remains here in Togo.

In 2008, Bob was an integral part of the effort to raise several million dollars to start another hospital, this time at the request of a destitute area in Northern Togo. That campaign kick-off coincided with the American financial crisis and the beginning of global economic woes. Bob pressed on. 

On top of that monetary challenge, this Northern Togo location isn’t exactly an easy place to get to or a desirable place to live. During an early-phase construction site visit to this new hospital, one respected leader in global surgery said “Bob, this is a crazy idea, no one is going to come here.” Bob was not deterred. 

A visionary in every sense of the word, he seems to see things in the future as if they are already happening. He is a winsome and convincing man and probably had a dominant role in the recruitment of most of the expatriate medical staff and most of the donated dollars that have been required to get the Hospital of Hope started. Of course, you would never know this from talking to Bob. It is true of him what Ronald Reagan meant when he said “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit."

Bob was here briefly for the opening of Hospital of Hope. Stuggling to control his emotions, the words he spoke to our group at the end of that first week meant more to me than all others.

Bob returned to Togo this week to cover surgery for most of May. The long land route means that we had to drive south (for upcoming departure) in the vehicle that took Bob on the return journey north. Bob will pick up where I’ve left off. I love the give and take of the mentor - mentee relationship.

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In keeping up with the then and now theme photos - here are a couple of wrap-up family photos. Back in 2004 it was fairly easy to get an all smiles photo. 

In 2015 it is impossible to get all smiles coordinated and we barely all fit in a selfie despite my long arms.