PEOPLE WHO CHANGED MY LIFE FOR EVER-A TRIBUTE

I STILL REMEMBER THE DAY WHEN I JOINED NIZAM INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES HYDERABAD IN 2002 AS A VASCULAR TRAINEE UNDER PROF.RAMAKRISHNA PINJALA.I WAS AN AVERAGE GENERAL SURGEON TO SAY THE LEAST.WITH AN AVERAGE GENERAL SURGICAL TRAINING BEHIND ME I WAS JUST WONDERING WHAT WAS I UPTO INSPITE OF PUTTING IN 10 GOOD YEARS OF MY LIFE INTO MEDICAL PROFESSION AS A STUDENT.ALL I HAD WAS A BURNING PASSION TO DO SOMETHING GOOD IN LIFE.TO MAKE LONG STORY SHORT I WAS LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN MY SURGICAL CAREER.AND AS ALWAYS HAPPENS IN A TYPICAL MASALA INDIAN MOVIE THOUGH THIS TIME IN REAL LIFE(READ REAL AND NOT REEL)I CAME ACROSS DR PINJALA AS A MENTOR AND A TRUE GUIDE.HE NOT ONLY TAUGHT ME THE BASICS OF VASCULAR SURGERY BUT WENT A STEP FURTHER STATING THE GLOBAL PRESENCE OF THIS SPECIALITY AND WHAT EVERYONE OF US CAN DO TO MAKE OUR PRESENCE FELT IN THE VASCULAR COMMUNITY.IT WAS UNDER HIM THAT I FIRST CAUGHT UP WITH THE PHRASE"THINK GLOBAL ACT GLOBAL".

THIS PHRASE OF HIS LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK AS IF SOMETHING GOT CHISELLED ON MY HEART.

AND THEN STARTED WHAT I CALL AS THE SECOND INNINGS OF MY VASCULAR SURGICAL CAREER WHEN I MET THIS GREAT MAN BY THE NAME PROF.WILHELM .SANDMANN WHO HEADS THE VASCULAR SURGERY DEPARTMENT IN HEINRICH HEINE UNIVERSITY DUSSELDORF GERMANY.I NEVER KNEW BY THEN THAT MY CAREER WAS TO CHANGE FOR EVER.HE IS AN INSTITUTION IN HIMSELF ,SOMEONE WHO HAS MASTERED THE ART OF VASCULAR SURGERY.NO DOUBT HE IS ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED NAMES IN VASCULAR SURGERY IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES.I STILL REMEMBER THE LETTER HE EMAILED ME WHEN I APPROACHED HIM THROUGH A COMMON FRIEND TO GET TRAINED UNDER HIM .HE ASKED ME THE KIND OF VASCULAR SURGERIES I WAS INTERESTED IN AND BELIEVE ME I WROTE PRACTICALLY EVERY POSSIBLE VASCULAR SURGERY THAT I COULD THINK OF AND CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THE REPLY WAS?HE EMAILED ME SAYING"WHAT ALL YOU DESIRE TO LEARN FROM US LIKE THORACO-ABDOMINAL ANEURYSMS ,ANEURYSMS AT ANY AND EVERY LEVEL,REDO AORTIC CASES ETC IS OUR DAILY ROUTINE AND YOU ARE WELCOME'.I BECAME AN INSTANT FAN OF HIS AND WOULD ALWAYS REVERE HIM IN THE LIST OF MY ALL TIME GREATS.ITS A PITY THAT HE RETIRES THIS OCTOBER BUT THEN ALL GOOD THINGS HAVE TO COME TO AN END.