Don't Stop Believin'

So it has been a couple of very busy, and eventful, days since my last post. There are some interesting events I think some of you might enjoy hearing about.

Pub Crawl
Well, since there are still a few more days left of orientation, a pub crawl was organized for Thursday night. If you are are an OHSU student, there is no need to worry, this is a blog that respects your privacy so all names and identities are protected at all times.

Well, I thought it would be fun to tag along on this event, even though it really isn't my speed per se, and also take the wife. How many opportunities in our lives will we have to hang out with a group of absolute strangers who are together at such at critical stage in their collective lives? We started in a basement bar, filled with second hand smoke. There were at least 20 of us and, amazingly, none of us were smoking. I guess I shouldn't be shocked, since we are all med students after all, but still, this had to be the largest group of non-smokers I was ever associated with.

The night continued on, and the PBRs continued to flow. At the end of the evening, we found ourselves at a great karaoke bar near chinatown. All the OHSU students joined together in a rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" (quite appropriate at for the beginning of the med school "journey", although perhaps a bit cheesy :) ) that was enthusiastic (perhaps a little too enthusiastic?) My night with the group ended after a group sing of Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer" which is Courtney and my own personal theme song, as my cousin Jordan can attest from his historic reading of it at our wedding.

The Orientation Gets Heavy
Now they are getting us ready for the our first class, Gross Anatomy, Embryology and Imaging. Basically, this is what med school is famous for, the dissection of a human cadaver. Rather than go into all of the details, I thought I would just include this handout that was given to us. It is called "The Gift" and it is from JAMA 276:854, 1996. It was written by a donor in the Chicago area in the mid-nineties.

The Gift

I am lying here in front of you now because of those doctors that saved me the first two times. They gave me 15 years I would never have had. Fifteen years to make things right with Elsie. To care for her after her stroke as she cared for me and the children those years when I was running around. Fifteen years to witness the births of my grandchildren. Fifteen years to spend time with my kids as I never did while they were growing up. Some might call that lucky, but I call that a gift. A gift from God, sure. But also a gift from those doctors. My body is my gift back to them.

As you examine me here in Gross Anatomy, I would like you to do a few things. When you look at the scars on my hands, remember I was a butcher for 45 years. When you examine my liver, remember I was a drinker. When you hold my heart in your hands, remember how I ate and my quadruple bypass. But most of all, when you are with me, learn, so that you too may be able to keep giving the gift that I was given.

Michael A. Grassi
Chicago, Ill.

White Coat Ceremony
I will post photos of this as I get them from Courtney and others. It was engaging, moving and humbling. The organizers did a first class job.

The day started out with a bit of a scare though, for our little family. When I got up in the morning, I took Drac (the dog) for a walk to get a few bagels. Drac does not like to go on this particular walk, because he hates waiting outside the bagel shop. So, when we get halfway up the hill to the store, he starts sitting down and trying to turn back home. Anyway, he never wins this battle, so we ended up at the store. I was keeping my eye on him as I placed my order, then when I was paying the bill, a woman came in the door and said the dog ran away! I proceeded to chase after him (he was initially just out of my sight) and watched as he crossed SW Burtha and SW Vermont, in a effort to get back to the house. Somehow, he made it (he did at least cross at the corners) and I caught up to him just before the driveway to our complex. When I went back to the store to get the coffee I left behind, the woman told me that he chewed threw his leash in less than a minute and took off. Someone is a very bad dog.

After that initial scare, Courtney and I got ready and headed off to the ceremony. Courtney looked quite beautiful and classy. She was also very helpful, as she has been all week, making sure that all of the details that I don't seem able to remember anymore are handled. I would be lost without her help.

As I said before, the ceremony itself was great, but the details are a little fuzzy. There was an army of OHSU handlers there to make sure we all went the right places and didn't screw up. I'm not used to having such an extensive support system. It was all a bit surreal. Our speaker was from the east coast, actually used to be a Dean at Jefferson in Philly. The Philly connection has been strong the past few days. The night before we found a replica of the Liberty Bell downtown in Portland, and at karaoke I say the Dead Milkmen's "Punk Rock Girl" which makes references to Philly. Anyway, the speaker noted his amazement at the restraint the parents in Portland showed by refraining from clapping for the individuals students and saving their applause for the end. This would never happen back where we were from. It was appreciated though, and the applause at the end was raucous!

So, that is it for now. I'll get those photos up as soon as I can. On the horizon, I see my blogging slowing down as the real classes begin. There is really no homework during orientation, so I can write away freely now, but I know this will change.