I was there for the delivery of Nathan (said with a French accent). Each baby born still has the same effect on me like that I had with the first one I ever saw. It feels miraculous. Photo taken and published with permission from parents.![]()
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Welcome to this world Nathan
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Happy birthday Akita
Akita just saw the light now. Yet another precious miracle delivered to life. This photo was taken and published with permission from Akita’s mother.![]()
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A letter from a baby I helped “being born”
I received this note on Facebook in Sept. 2011 and the second photo in Feb. 2012: Hi doctor! Yesterday I saw you on facebook, and this remind me that I have not thanked you for helping my mom gave birth to me after two days in the delivery room (I was so tired, mom and [...]![]()
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Happy birthday baby Samuel
This photo was taken and published here with permission from Samuel’s mother and father.![]()
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Another little miracle
Happy birthday Zack-André and birthing day to his mother. This photo was taken and published here with permission from Zack-André’s mother.![]()
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A little miracle saw the light
Happy birthday Arielle and birthing day to her mother. I still get that same feeling with every new birth, even though the first I witnessed was back in 2001. Arielle weighed 2263 grams and I can almost imagine she was smiling. These photos were taken and published with permission from Arielle’s parents.![]()
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Lukas born on my birthday
Today is my birthday. It is now Lukas’s too. I am blessed to be surrounded by friends and family who ensured to make me feel special on this day. To top it all, I was there for Lukas’ delivery: an unmatched experience and the best way to end this day. When Lukas grows up he [...]![]()
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My schizophrenic Lebanon!
Today I started #Lebanonissoschizophrenic hashtag on Twitter. After a 14-day trans Canada road trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, I flew to Lebanon on July 1. I find it fascinating how we, Lebanese, learned to survive and even have fun in such a troubled country. Here are few observations-turned-tweets I just sent out [...]![]()
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Le Liban schizophrène d’un gynéco-blogueur
Le Liban schizophrène d’un gynéco-blogueur. Le Liban schizophrène d’un gynéco-blogueur 18JUIL Hasan Abdessamad. Hasan Abdessamad a quitté le Liban il y a plus de cinq ans. Après avoir terminé ses études en médecine à l’Université américaine de Beyrouth (AUB), il plie bagage pour l’Ohio, aux États-Unis, pour se spécialiser en gynécologie, avant [...]![]()
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Alex 2 years later
This is Alex. I helped his mother give birth to him in June 2010. Today I run into her by chance and she shows me his recent photo. What a great feeling! Disclaimer: This photo has been taken and shared here with permission from Alex’s mother.![]()
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The final A to the DABDA of my breakup
Since grieving usually comes to an end…
If you have not heard of DABDA, let me explain. It is the five stages a person goes through when grieving a loss: Denial – Anger – Bargaining – Depression – Acceptance. The stages are not exclusive. You can be in two or three stages at the same time. The duration of a stage can last from minutes to years.
The first blog post I wrote was about DABDA back in October 2010.
Time flies.
Isn’t this ironic. In retrospect, it feels like time flies. Yet when a part of you breaks, time stands still. That is what I experienced when I broke my arm a year ago and my heart a year before that.
Here is to the beautiful memory of it all, on the 9th anniversary of when it all started, the 2nd anniversary of when it all ended and as it all ends now, again.
;
Time stands still as we deny, we disbelieve,
We get angry, we grow furious, we act naïve,
We bargain, our wounded soul we seek to relieve,
We aspire for the truth, but believe what we perceive,
We express, we depress, we delude, we deceive
Time stands still as we conceive what to achieve
We cross oceans, yet burn bridges and shields we weave
We let go and a beautiful journey behind us we leave
We succumb, we accept as we no longer afford to grieve
;
I have arrived at the final A of my DABDA.
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Nikhil born on his Mom’s birthday
I have been in the hospital since early morning, it has been very busy between the emergency room, the operating room and the delivery suite.
What a better way to end my day!
A healthy baby boy being born breaking my personal record for the number of family members attending a delivery at a hospital!
The interactions and emotions reminded me of the strong family ties we experience back home in Lebanon.
And here is the little miracle of the day.
Happy birthday Nikhil, how special is it to be born on the birthday of your mother and the birthday of the obstetrician who cared for you while still in utero!
Disclaimer: Both photos were taken and published here with permission of Nikhil’s parents.
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Kind words back from Bathurst!
It is such kindness and gratefulness that make all the difference in my career, I am happy to share with you this letter I received from a patient of mine.
Good morning Dr Abdessamad,
My name is *** ***. I was your patient in Bathurst NB. (See photo of me and my husband *** attached). Exactly 3 years ago (February 2010) we met you in your office in Bathurst. Having had problems for 3 to 4 years prior and also after having received little help from two other gynaecologists before you during those years, we were skeptical that you could help us. Last spring, I was sad to hear from my family doctor that you had left Bathurst without us having had the chance to wish you the best in your new chapter of life in Vancouver. As I was searching on Internet to see if by any chance I could find an e-mail address, I got into your blog, to which I subscribed, by the way. I was very surprised, to discover 2 or 3 years later, that you had chosen to post the special messages and gifts that we had given you in December 2010 and December 2011. This has confirmed the importance of expressing our gratitude! On your blog, I could read that you’ve had difficult times- broken heart and broken arm. I understand you are better now and that your arm is working perfectly!
On this Valentine’s Day, it is an appropriate moment to tell you again how grateful we are to you as I am completely cured and couldn’t be any better. Being retired from work since last June, I can tell you than we enjoy life at its maximum!!!! *** and I wish you the best. You are a very significant person in our life. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Best regards!
Disclaimer: This letter has been shared here with patient’s knowledge and permission.
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Happy Nursing Week –الأسبوع العالمي للتمريض
.يتم الاحتفال بـالأسبوع العالمي للتمريض في جميع أنحاء العالم في أول إسبوع من مايو من كل عام، للإشارة إلى إسهامات الممرضات/ين في المجتمع
.في هذا اليوم، أحيي كل الممرضات/ين اللواتي و الذين عملت معهم في لبنان، والولايات المتحدة وكندا – هنيئاً لكم عيدكم
I would like to send a shout out to all nurses I worked with in Beirut, Cleveland, Bathurst, Prince George and Vancouver and to those I have met in conferences and elsewhere.
What a noble mission you carry and a tough job you execute.
There is a lot to learn from you and you have always opened my eyes to what medical school and residency training fail to teach us. To you I am thankful.
The U.S. and Canada celebrate National Nursing Week each year from 9 to 15 May.
It was established in the U.S. by President Richard Nixon in 1974.
The Canadian Minister of Health instituted National Nursing Week in Canada in 1985.
Lebanon celebrates International Nurse’s Day on May 8th.
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My AMA Physician’s Recognition Award in CME
I just received my American Medical Association (AMA) Physician’s Recognition Award in Continuing Medical Education (CME) from July 2013 till July 2016.
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Happy Birthday Baby Girl Diaz
This photo was taken and is published here with permission of the mother and her midwife Marijke De Zwager. It was an honour to be part of this special day for this family.
Addendum: June 29 2013
I saw the parents the next day and now they have named her: Catalina Mazzuchi Diaz. I updated this post based on their request.
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Baby Alexadre claims Aug 2nd a birthday
Newborn Baby Boy Alexandre claimed Aug 2nd a birthday for himself. His parents and I wanted to snap a shot of him right after birth and on the warmer but my battery failed me. His arrival marks a beautiful addition to the French Acadian community here in Bathurst, NB and I am happy to be part of that.
I am only in Bathurst, NB for few days of locum to cover a need and for preceptorship to help Gynaecologists here bring Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy back to northern NB.
Disclaimer: Both photos were taken by Alexandre’s father and published via social media with knowledge and permission of both parents.
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Why don’t I go back!?
For the longest time I said: “I would never leave Lebanon.”
I did.
“Even if I seek advanced training abroad, I will definitely come back.”
I didn’t… yet.
What I always cherished about Lebanon, Lebanon still has.
So why don’t I go back!?
What I always despised about Lebanon, still plaques it. But I never lost hope for change and the passion to partake in it.
So why don’t I go back!?
I have friends back home that I call family. I have family there as close as friends.
The village is so authentic and always brought me flashbacks of a memorable childhood. The city is vibrant and always kept me mindful of the moment.
In the village, our toys were mostly hand-made, our neighbours would never call before they show at your doorstep, a walnut tree that my dad planted is now as old as I am: with taller branches, deeper roots and obviously never left.
In the city, people demonstrated resilience and a passion for life. When Israel bombed Beirut in 2006, people refused to stop dancing, nightlife moved to Faraya. Refugees of one region became the guests of the other. International festivals remained louder than bombs.
In Beirut, the mountains are close; the weather is forgiving; the sea is calming.
In the mountains, the sea is close; the weather is forgiving; the mountain is peaceful.
Or at least, that is how I remember it!
I listen to Lebanese news daily. Media masters the art of keeping us worried. “Shou 3am biseer 3indkon?” (“What’s happening back home?”) I would call worried. “Ma fi shi” (“There is nothing”) my sister would Watsapp back from Rabbit Hole in Hamra. “Ma 3am nisma3 el akhbar” (“We are not listening to the news”) my mom would say. “Bikoun firkay3” (“It is likely fireworks”) she might add reassuringly.
I spent one month in Lebanon in June 2013 for LebMASH work. I did not have time for the news, or maybe I subconsciously avoided it. One day, my brother called from Ireland worried. I giggled as I responded “Ma fi shi”. It is likely survival skills instinctually developed by people who chronically live with political or military instability.
I have those skills, so why don’t I go back!?
A paradox of a nation whose streets witness all types of protests and demonstrations (political coalitions named after the days when they protested: March 8 vs March 14): the tire-burning, the road-blocking, the rainbow-flag-waving, the anti-west & the anti-anti-West, the secular & the sectarian, the righteous & the “righteous”, the activists’ & the blind followers’, the peaceful & the armed, the spontaneous & the planned, the workers’, the unions’, the womyn’s (usually few and loud) & the womyn’s (an effortless collection of a sea of womyn-in-black), the liberal & the conservative, the marathons, and marathons & more marathons, with different causes, and recently different sponsors. Even walls fall victims to a graffiti war, the safest war Lebanon to ever witness. What an oxymoron!
Is it Lebanon’s unique schizophrenia that keeps it vaguely charismatic?
If charismatic I perceive it, why don’t I go back!?
A question that has been troubling me for some time, and I am yet to arrive at a reasonable answer!
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Andia at age 4 days & 2 years
Today I received this lovely message on my official Facebook page:
Hi Doctor Hasan. This little girl is Andia. She is now two and half. You’re the one who delivered this precious little girl in Bathurst on May 16 2011. ; )
This was sent by Andia’s mother who gave me permission to share it on my blog. She attached a current photo of Andia now at age 2 years, 6 months and 28 days.
Moments like this remind me over and over about the beauty of my career and its personal/humane aspect. I am blessed and honoured to be able to share those precious moments in the lives of many families.
Here is my photo with Andia at age 4 days – Taken in Bathurst, NB on May 19 2011 and posted on this blog back then.
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Kaylee: another little miracle!
Kaylee saw the light today, Dec. 17 2013 at 3:31 am in BC.
Nothing beats the cry of a healthy newborn after hours of labor. It always puts a big smile on my face regardless of what time such miracles occur.
It is a special day for her family, I am happy to have been part of this amazing experience.
PS. Photo taken by Kaylee’s father and published here with permission from both of her parents.
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