Dear Colleagues,
Last evening was truly a night to remember. After weeks of planning, we held our fundraiser dinner for the Syrian refugee families. Leading up to the event, I had received many emails and phone calls about the intent and purpose of the occasion. I heard a variety of opinions about our proposed objective, some were thoughtful, others not so much. Regardless, we stayed laser focused on our mission as a non-political organization and moved forward with one goal in mind, to help raise money and awareness about the tragic living situation of the increasing number of Syrian refugees in the neighboring arab countries. I realized throughout this whole process how convoluted and difficult we can sometimes be as a community with no shortage of strong emotionally driven opinions, but I also witnessed firsthand the moderate voices that all too often speak softly and modestly and the impact that they can have. I must admit, throughout the planning process of this event I had become somewhat frustrated by the plethora of manufactured issues brought forth, it was reminiscent of my highly anxious patient that cannot focus or enjoy anything because he keeps worrying about issues that may or may not be relevant. I just kept thinking of the little boy pictured sleeping on the snow and enduring something that most of us cannot begin to imagine. I chose to ignore a lot of the chatter and listen to the voices of reason and humanity that surrounded me. Last night, those voices spoke loudly and came out from as far as the flint area to make a statement, that while our politics may not always mesh, our hearts are big and our caring spirit is universal. I am humbled by the support we received yesterday, ever grateful to our board, and could not be more proud to be a NAAMA member.
Respectfully Yours,
Sam Fawaz, M.D.
President