9-11 Ten Years Later

9/11 And Prayer:

Mayor Bloomsberg is keeping prayer and Christian religious leaders out from the memorial ceremonies but God bless Bishop TD Jakes for posting a wonderful prayer at www.huffingtonpost.com!

9-11 was all about our need for God and prayer. I was in DC during the 911 attacks then I was blessed to have been able to provide health care to the World Trade Center survivors and first responders for 2 years in NY/NJ after 9/11. Though these first responders and survivors struggled with the horrors of what they experienced, all of those I met were Christians and they expressed their faith in and need for God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

Many had respiratory problems and all had great emotional scars which needed attending. We arranged for them to get the appropriate medical and mental health specialty care for free but many still asked for help through our mutual faith and so I would hold their hand or shoulder and pray with them in the quiet of a small exam room.

I recited every healing scripture I could remember and held them all like family. I let them know that they were "mighty men and women of valor" and that they made me proud to be an American. I told them that I and everyone I knew had been praying for them since the first plane hit nearly a year before, though we'd never met any of them.

I told them that their experiences and heroic acts that day were the reason I had gotten over my own medical problems of chronic pain and burn-out to return to medicine and to be now caring for them in their time of need. I told them that they had inspired me to believe God for healing even more than I've ever done in my 20 years of medicine!

After some "AMEN"s and a few tears, we were all very comforted and ready to continue the fight of faith for our healing. I have since moved on from New York and New Jersey and from medicine but I still pray for these men and women even now, 10 years later. I also pray for all the families who lost love ones in the World Trade Center attack, Flight 11, Flight 77, Flight 175 and Flight 93.

I tell all who are in need of healing of any kind, "Believe in the Great Physician! Believe GOD!" and "may God bless the USA!"

Gospel and Opera Singer Don Diego Jones Has Died

I just found out that opera singer Don Diego Jones was murdered in a park in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 8th. I don't know his exact age but he didn't look older than his late 30's which makes it more tragic and sad. I lived in the days when DC was called "the murder capitol" but this news still shocked me. I pray things are not getting so bad again that a simple stroll in the park can cost you your life.

Don Diego Jones' Bio:
Don Diego Jones was a dedicated social worker and a member of the Washington National Opera's chorus where he performed in many operas. However, he was most notably known for his rendition of the 23rd Psalm that he did with harpist Jeff Majors at Coretta Scott King's funeral. He received even more acclaim when he repeated the performance on the Oprah Winfrey show later that year.

My Take:
What a loss! Don Diego Jones was an extraordinarily gifted vocalist who will not be forgotten. I absolutely loved his rendition of the 23rd Psalm in the video link especially how he sang "and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord, forever". I would play this continuously night and day when I was in some "dark valleys" myself or just to praise the Lord. I would often refer friends and family to this video during their tough times and they also found comfort and strength in it.

Even though I did not know Mr. Jones personally, I viewed the video all day today and could not keep myself from crying. The song has always touched me deeply but now it was so real and relevant. As sad as I am about Mr. Jones passing, all I can think of is "Oh, the choir that's in heaven!" I hope this video will strengthen his family through this tough time. My thoughts and prayers truly go out to Don Diego Jones' family. May God rest his soul and may He reward him greatly for using his gift of voice to praise our Lord. And may Don Diego Jones "dwell in the house of the Lord, forever".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYQX-Mvh9pI

Update:
Mr. Jones was 43 years old and was a contracted chorus performer and with the Washigton National Opera. He sang with the likes of Placido Domingo and many others during his many stage performance over 14 years with the Washington National Opera. His voice was classified as a lyric tenor which is defined as "a warm graceful voice with a bright, full timbre that is strong but not heavy and can be heard over an orchestra". Opera.com states that lyric tenors have a range from approximately the C one octave below middle C (C3) to the D one octave above middle C. Jones was married and he and is wife had just adopted twin babies. His mom, a reverend, gave the eulogy at his funeral and the Washington Natiional Opera gave a concert dedicated to his memory at the same park where he was killed. Police are offering a $25,000 reward for information on his murder.

Hollywood Health and Society on Capitol Hill

Actress Mariska Hargitay and Executive Producer Neal Baer, M.D. both of Law and Order: SVU headlined a Hollywood, Health & Society's Global Health panel, held at The Library of Congress on March 24, 2010 in Washington, DC (see pictures of the event). Everyone knows Mariska Hargitay but many may not know Dr. Baer. Neal is a respected writer/producer in Hollywood who went through medical school and pediatric residency after writing for ER for many years. He is now the president of the board for Hollywood, Health and Society(HHS) and he is doing a magnificent job of educating TV writers on medical issues.

I got an invite to this event but couldn't travel back east for it but I was able to pass the invitation on to some of my colleagues in that area. HHS has a national and global impact but I love HHS because I get to meet many major TV actors and writers right here in LA. I am still amazed that I get to hang around with these people! Wow, my favs -- medicine and Hollywood combined! It's like a dream(lol)! God is so amazing!!!!!!

9/11

It's hard to believe that it has been 8 years since the World Trade Center and related attacks of 9/11/01. Thankfully, lots of prayers and the passing years has softened the harrowing effects of that days event for me. I can still remember waking up that Tuesday from a beautiful dream on a beautiful mourning in lovely Silver Spring, Maryland. I was awaken by the shrill intrusion of the phone ringing non-stop and I admit that I was irate when I answered the phone. It was my sister calling from work in Virginia urging me to turn on the TV news. I did and I was floored to see reports of the first of the Twin Towers being hit. Moments later, the second tower was hit and we knew this was no accident. I instantly began preparing for a disaster by securing water, food, flashlights, a radio and emergency cash. The pentagon was hit shortly after followed by the crash of the last plane in an empty field in Pennsylvania.

I like so many others cried and prayed for weeks about the attacks. I especially remember the people who were so desperate that they jumped off the burning buildings to their deaths as I asked the Holy Spirit to comfort them. I remember the touching last minute phone calls from the victims to their loved ones, most calmly trusting in God and praying as they knew their fate was sealed. I also remember the courageous men and women on the United Flight 93, who fought back and chose to crash and die rather than to let the plane be used as a weapon of hate.

My birthday was a few days after 9/11 and I had planned to take my first trip to New York City and celebrate by dining at Windows of the World, a famed restaurant in the World Trade Center. I really felt like I could have been one of the people there so I desperately wanted to be of help to the survivors and responders. Despite the fact that my back was out, I tried to volunteer with the Red Cross for the Pentagon and was rejected. Instead, I spent time talking to and praying for the baby-faced armed U.S. soldiers stationed within the metro trains, as I traveled to my doctors and physical therapist in DC and Maryland.

I was finally able to help the responders because God made it possible for me to work on a health grant for them even though I applied for it after the deadline. I got top level training on managing man-made and natural disasters with a team of doctors who were also WTC first responders on 9/11. I also had the opportunity to examine these heroes and to help them get help for their resulting medical problems. Most importantly, I was able to pray for them and encourage them to believe God! It marked the first time that I had ever talked so openly about God and faith to any patients in the continental U.S. and I know that I am a stronger Christian because of this experience.

Update:

Over the past two years, I had been very disappointed by Los Angeles' response to and lack of commemoration of 9/11. Most people seemed apathetic and distant to the importance of the day and that even includes coverage on the local news programs. This year L.A. has redeemed itself as I saw snippets of the community's concern all through my day today. First, friends at church talked about how their faith grew after the events, then some 20-something Christians at the Americana who remarked how they can recall exactly where they were and what they were doing at the time of the attack, which is chilling because they had to have been young teens at the time. On my way home, I pass a community center with it's flag at half mass and saw passer-bys looking at it solemnly. When I got home, I turned on TV and the Mayor(who I'm not a fan of) gave a good speech on honoring the day and heroic Americans.

Later that night, I exercised in the gym and watched President Obama's speech to commemorate 9/11. I still don't like the community service thing being lumped with 9/11 but the President's speech was nice. I then watched two 9/11 tribute documentaries one msnbc and TBN. As I watched the events on fold on TV, I was hearing police, fire and ambulance sirens like surround sound and it felt like I was at WTC for real or at least in a virtual reality game. I took off my earphones and realized that the sounds were coming from outside my apartment building and not the TV.

I could hear the police, ambulance and fire trucks as they pulled up outside and a helicopter flying over with a search spotlight. It reminded me of post-9/11 D.C. with the near constant military fly over and reconnaissance cover after the airspace was restricted. I looked out to the street and saw 5-7 police cars, a firetruck and then an ambulance pulled up. Again, I was in disaster mode and started getting prepared to evacuate. It turned out that it was a criminal fleeing the police and had holed up in a business office. The police had sent in the dogs for him and he looked injured as they helped him onto a stretcher. Some would say that this is typical L.A. stuff I guess but it is very unusual for my neighborhood.