In eight weeks, on the day after my 56th birthday and the day before my practice partnership closes for ever, I will hop on an airplane and start the long journey literally halfway around the world for my long-awaited volunteer stint in Surgical Oncology at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimpu, Bhutan. When I return I will jump into a new practice and re-start the rest of my career.

 The seeds for this journey were planted in 2008 when my Dad and I traveled to Bhutan for a cultural tour with REI.  I literally fell in love with the beautiful Himalayan Kingdom and its warm and gentle people.  But even with stars in my eyes I could see that this was a country with many needs, and also many advantages compared to other "low resource" countries:  Minimal infrastructure for transportation, communication, sanitation, health care and education, yet a stable and benign government, mostly unspoiled natural beauty and resources, strong cultural values, and a commitment to the future guided by the principle of "Gross National Happiness."  More about Happiness later...

I had a very strong desire to come back to Bhutan to contribute in some way, hopefully in medical care since that is pretty much my primary skill.  But at that time there were very few NGO's operating, and none that I could find that could use the skills of a General Surgeon.  After a flurry of emails, letters and web searches I had to put my desire on hold.

In 2013 I returned to Bhutan with my husband, Jeff, for a much-anticipated high altitude experience: The Chomolhari Trek.  We were able to get way off the beaten path, not that any path in Bhutan is all that beaten, and travel above the snow line and far into the countryside.   I was also able to arrange a half-day visit to the Referral Hospital in Thimpu, where the country's lone surgical oncologist took me for a tour and started my education about the challenges of treating surgical disease and cancer in a country with very few roads, only one full service hospital, no radiation facilities and not a single mammogram machine; also precious few doctors and no medical school.

About this time the organization Health Volunteers Overseas, who had been working in Bhutan since the 1990's in areas such as orthopedics, pediatrics, nurse anesthesia, internal medicine and mental health, started up an Oncology program and I saw my opportunity.  I applied and was accepted as the first operating surgeon to volunteer, joining a steady parade of Medical Oncologists and Palliative Care specialists.   My exact duties are not all that clear, and it may be in large part up to me to pitch in where I can:  giving classes or lectures in the brand new residency program, wielding a scalpel, working on public education campaigns, seeing clinic patients, and who knows what else.  Mostly I will be learning and observing and submerging myself in a totally new experience.

Stay tuned, as I really have no idea how this will all turn out!