The Greeters
The Check In Station
The Organizers
The Cocktail Hour
The Bar
The Hors d'œuvre Station
Cocktail Reception Guests
The Speech
When you want to connect with people on a heartfelt level, renowned Neurosurgeon, Dr. Benjamin Carson comes to mind. That's what was desired by the organizers of Howard Community College's Nursing Scholarship Benefit, the event to raise critical funds for nursing scholarships, which was hosted by Jill and Pat McCuan at the Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center on June 4th, 2011 from 6 - 10pm. The event which had Dr. Carson as the guest of honor included a cocktail reception, a speech by him and an elegant seated dinner. It was an event that will be remembered for a long time.
Below are excerpts from Dr. Carson’s speech which touched on several interesting subjects.
Nurses:
Nurses are my favorite people. Some nurses are even better than residents. They are the infantry of medicine because they are the first hands on people with patients. The mission of community colleges are sometimes underrated, but in difficult times like these present time, we need places which are flexible that prepare people for job opportunities that are practical, not just theoretical.
Dr. Hinojosa:
Dr. Alfredo Quinones Hinojosa is the Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Neuroscience, Oncology and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and the Director of the Brain Tumor Stem Cell Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He came to the US as a migrant worker. He attended a community college, San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California and did so well in school that he gained admission to the University of California, Berkeley to complete his bachelor's degree. He then went on to receive his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, where he graduated with honors. He then completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in developmental and stem cell biology. He then came to Johns Hopkins and has established himself as one of the best academic neurosurgeons in the country. From a community college the possibilities are endless.
Passion:
When I was young, medicine was the only thing that interested me. I even loved going to the hospital. That shows you I was a strange kid. I'd sit in the hall way and listen to the PA system and I'd think, one day, one day, they'll call Dr. Carson. It's important to dream.
Origin of the name Siamese Twins: The name Siamese twins for conjoined twins comes from conjoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker born in Siam now Thailand in 1811 who were joined at the chest by a band of flesh, cartilage, and their fused livers at the torso. They joined P.T. Barnum’s circus and toured with them for years billed as the Siamese Twins. Then they became farmers in North Carolina. They got married to two sisters and had 21 kids between them. They were very creative to have managed that. How they did it was that they'd live with one wife for one week and the other wife the following week. Their wives must've gotten along to effect that. They lived to be 63 years old, which was very good at the time. These days I run into complainers and whiners all the time, but they are prime examples of sucking it up, not complaining and dealing with the situation life deals.
Failure:
In 2003 I was contacted by a medical group in Singapore about separating two vibrant, intelligent and vivacious 29 year old Iranian twins, Ladan and Laleh Bijani of Shiraz, Iran, joined at the hip. They both had law degrees even though only one wanted one. They had a good understanding of the risk involved, but they said they'd rather die than spend another day stuck together. Before you criticize them, put yourself in their shoes. I joined the team of doctors to perform their separation operation. Unfortunately, at the end of the operation they began to bleed profusely and died.
Learning:
Cumulative learning by learning from things that don't work, helps you learn things that do work. Thomas Edison found 999 ways the electric bulb didn't work before finding the one way that does. Cleaning formula 409 is so named because the 408 formulas made first didn't work. Walter Dandy, the legendary surgeon who pioneered the bloodless surgical approach to the posterior fossa of the skull found the correct way to perform it. However, while he was trying out the procedure, his first 13 patients died. When asked by prospective patients, "How did your previous patients do? He probably said, “No one is complaining.” Now we can do such surgeries safely because of his failures.
Political Correctness:
I don't believe in political correctness. I actually believe it is a negative force. I was talking about how the fashion industry is indirectly encouraging young women to be unbelievably skinny like Jews in concentration camps. I was told that I can't talk about that because my statement could offend Jews. I was told that it's like slavery being discussed in my presence. I told them, you can talk about slavery all you want, it doesn't offend me.
America was not built on the unanimity of thought; however, one must be respectful of people. Political correctness only leads to artificial conversations. I believe we are mature enough as people to speak honestly or the future of the nation is at stake. I'll share a story about not talking with you. A man who travels to different places in the world and always buys his mother exotic gifts ran out of ideas on what to buy her. So while traveling he saw two amazing birds who could dance, sing and talk for $5,000 each. He bought them and sent them to his mother. When he called his mother to ask if she liked the birds she said she did instead of she does, he said, "Mom you did? Don't tell me you got rid of the birds. They could dance, sing and talk, and they cost me $5000 each. His mother replied, "Then they should've said something." Most Germans didn't agree with what Hitler was doing, but they didn't say anything.
Youthful Exuberance:
We must remember who we are and what our future can be if we don't give up. I was the butt of jokes in school. I was called a dummy. Dummy was my nickname. If I was in a class, every other student was safe because they knew they would do better than me and I would be last. But I realized that although I wasn't good in class, I could get people kicked out of classes by irritating them, so we both would not gain anything from the class.
So I would study people, find out what irritates them and wait till we're in class and a teacher is present and begin to do it. They would get upset, blow up and the teacher would send them out of the class. I was good at getting people kicked out of classes. But there was this one girl, who was Miss Cool, Calm and Collected, Miss Goody Two Shoes and Miss Prissy all in one. I said to myself, wow, wouldn't it be great to get her kicked out of class? So as God would have it, one day she sat in front of me. So I began irritating her and pressing her buttons, but instead of getting mad and blowing up, she turned around and said to me, "Me and you outside after class." Needless to say that didn't go as I planned. I became as surgeon and she became a professional wrestler.
Education:
Many students I encounter don't have a strong appreciation for education. We talk about how important education is, but we overwhelmingly put our resources to sports and entertainment. Schools fall apart and there's no money to fix them, but don't let a big sports stadium be a couple of years old, we tear it down and build a bigger and better one in its place. Our students are behind in science and math in the world. 40% of higher level college graduates in technology in the US are foreigners. This is not the agricultural or industrial age. This is the technology and information age where knowledge is power. We must find ways to close the education gap, that's why schools like Howard Community College are so important. 30% of high school students in the US don't graduate. It's unbelievable that we don't see it as a crisis. In 1831, the US was competing with England at every level, so they sent people from England here to study what the US was doing right. They found that American systems encourage entrepreneurship and people were well educated. In 1831 second grade students were functionally literate. Even people in the outskirts and in the mountains could read, understood government and the principles of physics. If you view the 1800's 5th or 6th grade exit exam, you'd be blown away. The 5th and 6th grade exit exam of 1831 probably can't be passed by college students now. Now, we have dumbed things down to that degree. This situation is truly serious and it is not to be left in the hands of politicians looking for gain.
Problem Solving by Thinking Out Of the Box:
I had problems along the way but I saw them as opportunities. In college in 1970s Detroit was in economic oppression. There were only few jobs. The car industry was in ascendancy, but I always found a job because I thought outside of the box. I'd get on the bus and travel to small businesses, knock on their doors asking if they had a job for me because I knew many didn't have an advertising budget, to put an ad in the paper, but they needed people. While I was at Yale, I worked at Rubicum Advertising, one of the large national advertising companies. I wanted a job there, but personnel wasn't hiring. So one day, I went up the elevator to the president's office and I explained the situation to him. He said I should go to personnel. I told him they weren't hiring. So, he picked up the phone, called personnel and said, "I am sending Ben Carson to you. Give him a job." Guess what? I had a job that summer.
I was a supervisor for the highway cleanup crew. It was tough job under the hot sun and the staff wasn't interested in working. I had to come up with a creative way for them to do their jobs and do it well. So I said to them, "Look guys, you don't want to pick up trash in the hot sun. Let's start at 6 am when it's cool and if you work faster and fill the required 100 bags of trash a day, you don't have to stay for the 8 hours and you will still get paid for 8 hours." They agreed with me and I had never seen people work so fast. They’d pick 200 hundred bags of trash in a short amount of time and we'd leave. Then the other people said, Carson's crews are amazing but we never see them. Think out of the box for win-win situations.
Encouraging Others:
As a nation we need to encourage our young. I meet many young people who need encouragement. If you have a normal brain you are smart, everything else is a matter of if you are taught properly. The counselor at my medical school tried to encourage me to leave. He said it would be better for both me and the school if I left. I went back and thought about the classes I was doing badly in. I realized that I struggled with courses where I had to sit through 6 to 8 hours of boring lectures, but I did well in courses I read myself. So I focused on reading for all my classes and succeeded. When I went back as a commencement speaker, I went looking for the counselor because I wanted to tell him that he shouldn't be a counselor.
Being Encouraged:
The husband of a nurse on the Pediatric Neurology floor had multiple brain tumors including an inoperable one in the brain stem. None of the adult neurologists would touch the case. She pleaded with me to assist. I told her that I'm a pediatric neurologist not an adult neurologist. She said, "He was once a child." Over time, she wore me down and I finally agreed to do the surgery. I went to speak to him and told him, "If I cut a hole in your brain stem, there's a 50% chance that you will die. He responded saying, “If I don't do the surgery, there's a 100% chance that I'll die, so I'll take my chance with you.” As we were doing the operation, I was feeling around his brain stem, when I felt something that felt out of place because of its consistency, I began pulling and pulling and finally pulled it out. As I was doing that, the electrocardiogram flat lined. The anesthesiologist who didn't want to be part of the operation in the first place said, "You killed him. You might as well close him up.” But I continued and we got the tumor out and his vital signs were okay. The next morning he was up in his hospital bed talking and joking with people. His wife encouraged me to do the operation based on the others I had done before.
My first case of Siamese twin separation was in 1987 with the West German Binder twins conjoined at the back of the head. Prior to that, Siamese twin separation results were dismal and nurses again encouraged me to do them. The head nurse acted as my psychiatrist. I would go and lay on the sofa in her office and we'd mentally walk through the operation to figure out what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. Though I get all the glory, nurses are very crucial to my success. I can't do anything in isolation.
Philanthropy:
Philanthropy is one of the big platforms in the US. Go to schools now, athletic trophies are prominently displayed. Athletes are the big men on campus and get undue privileges, while academics aren't celebrated like they should. When students excel academically, they get the "there, there, little nerd" pat on the head in response to their success. We started my Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. We started 15 years ago, with 25 students. Now we have 5000 scholars in 45 states. Companies like the Ronald McDonald House Charities and The Ford Foundation assist us. People are what will save the US. What's more important, the ability to throw a 25 foot jump shot or solve an equation?
The US inspired socialism in Europe. They saw the Fords, the Vanderbilts, the Carnegies, The Rockefellers and Onassis and said the government must control wealth. However, they didn't realize that Americans are different. Instead of hoarding money, these wealthy Americans created jobs, a middle class, and poured money into infrastructure. Philanthropy has always characterized this country and that has opened opportunities for so many people. That is our heritage.
American Symbols:
The bald eagle which symbolizes the US is majestic and regal. It's an animal flying high with great perspective. The bald comes from the word piebald, which on animal means a spotting pattern of large un-pigmentation, sometimes expressed or marked by white; and the pie was later dropped, hence the name, bald eagle.
The statue of liberty worldwide is recognized as a symbol of freedom and equality for all people. America has to be welcoming of people, but must have standards. The American flag is the most beautiful flag in the world.
The War of 1812 at Ft. McHenry:
In the War of 1812 which was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and the British. American declared war for reasons, including a desire for expansion into the Northwest Territory, trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressments of American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy, British support of American Indian tribes against American expansion, and the humiliation of American honor.
Major George Armistead came to Baltimore, Maryland, to take command of Fort McHenry which was built to guard the water entrance to the city. Francis Scott Key, the American lawyer who wrote a poem on the defense of Fort McHenry that would eventually be the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner was sent on a special mission to retrieve American physician, Dr. Beanes. During the fighting a message was sent to the Americans that the British will stop bombardment if the US lowered the flag. Francis Scott Key wept for his fledgling young nation, but the soldiers would not allow the flag to be lowered. As one soldier fell another held it up. At 7:30 on the morning of September 14, Admiral Cochrane called an end to the bombardment, and the British fleet withdrew. The scuffle was over and the American flag waving proudly over Fort McHenry could be seen for miles around—as far away as a ship anchored eight miles down the river, where Francis Scott Key was. The successful defense of Baltimore marked a turning point in the War of 1812. The American flag represents people who don't give up because the odds seem overwhelmingly against them. We must remember who we are, what we can do, our care of other people and our belief in God. When we remember who we are, we can do anything because we are one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
Q &A
At what age did you think you could operate on a brain?
To be honest with you the first time I saw a scalpel being used I was queasy. I don't like the sight of blood, which is strange for a surgeon, but would you rather have a surgeon who likes the sight of blood? It was toward the end of medical school that I gravitated towards neurosurgery.
You have special hand-eye coordination and three-dimensional reasoning skills that assists makes you a gifted surgeon. Talk about that.
I have maintained spatial three dimensional vision and orientation. Which means if you turn me around, I still know where things are. This is very useful when working in the brain because it helps me know where things are when I can't see them.
You mentioned that the 5th and 6th grade exit exam of 1831 probably can't be passed by college students now. The No Child Left Behind Act appears to be a crutch in our current educational system, which President Obama proposes to change. What are your thoughts on it?
The concept, not the name is important. For example, why is reading not difficult for people? It's because they know all the letters of the alphabet. If they only knew 21 of the 26 letters of the alphabet, they would have problems reading because when learning everything builds on something else. So if you have all the building blocks, it makes perfect sense, but if you don't it doesn't. There are now computer programs being made to isolate the gaps in students’ understanding. A good teacher with 30 students can't do it all including know where each student is struggling. So this will help and schools will become better. Right now, 30% of our students are functionally illiterate, which is unacceptable. In the Massachusetts Colony if you didn't go to school you were financially penalized. So again, the concept to address the issue, not the name it important.
At what point did you have the confidence that you are smart and how can we let people know that they are smart?
My mother believed in me when no one else did. She would turn off the TV and make us read books and write reports. Although she couldn't read, she'd go through it and highlight in different parts. We thought it was child abuse at the time, but because of this, I began to read a lot. During a 5th grade science class, the teacher asked us to identify a rock. I was the only one that did and everyone was shocked. So I thought to myself, the reason I knew the answer is because I read books. After that no book was safe in my grasp. I had an incredible thirst for knowledge. As I began to read of successful people, I realized that the person who has the most to do with your success is you. Now the average life expectancy is 80 years. Generally speaking, the first 20 to 25 years is for preparation or not. If you prepare well, you have 60 years to reap the rewards. If you don't, you have 60 years to suffer the consequences. So spending the time upfront perhaps is a good investment.
What do you do for fun?
I love to play pool. My wife is very good at it and makes a worthy opponent. Don't let her tell you she's not good. I love to travel, which I do a lot. For example, last month I was in Chicago.
With the advances in medicine, will we get to a place where there are no inoperable diseases?
The definition of inoperable will shrink. Robots have extreme capability. They minimize the shake, especially if you're fast. They are very accurate and there's enhanced imaging techniques that let us view molecular genetics structures, so what we fear today will be a thing of the past in the future. However, ethical issues will occur as people live to be 150 years old, but that's the nature of the beast.
What books have you read that inspired you?
The first book is Chip, the Dam Builder. It's the story about a beaver. Another book is Up From Slavery, Booker T. Washington's autobiography, which tells the story of how he went from being a slave to being an adviser to two presidents. The bible is also a very good book that I read daily. I start and end my day by reading the book of Proverbs. Also, the story of Joseph inspires me. He was sold into slavery by his brothers and he said to himself, “If I'm going to be a slave, I'll be the best slave there is.” When he refused the advances of Potiphar's wife and was put in jail, he again said to himself, "If I'm going to be a prisoner, I'm going to be the best prisoner there is. He later rose to become the Vizier of Egypt, the highest official of Ancient Egypt, the most powerful country in the world at the time.
What is your advice to young people?
Read about anything that interests you. Compared to video games and TV, with reading, you learn how to spell, improve your grammar and syntax, your imagination grows and your creativity is inspired. TV watchers just vegetate in front of it.
What's your favorite operation to perform?
It's the last one I just did. Anytime I have the opportunity to intervene in someone's life and give it back to them in an enhanced form that is my favorite operation.
The Dinner
Dinner Guests
Dr. Carson has authored three bestselling books published by Zondervan, an international Christian media and publishing company namely: Gifted Hands, The Big Picture, and Think Big. The first book is an autobiography, and the other two are about his personal philosophies of success that incorporate hard work and a faith in God. Attendees went home with a copy of his best-selling book, Gifted Hands.
A Special Request For Assistance
We all need the help of nurses at some time in our lives; they need your help now. Help nursing students become well trained and compassionate nurses in our community. Support the cause by being one of the following sponsors:
Florence Nightingale Sponsor $10,000
Critical Care Sponsor $5,000
RN Sponsor $2500
LPN Sponsor $1000
Individual Seat $125
Please mail your donation to Howard Community College Educational Foundation, Inc.
10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD 21044 or call 443-518-1970
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