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Volume 4 . Issue 26
September 2008
COUNCIL OF REFERENCE
A Quick Focus
Dr.John
Bruce
Dr.
C.McNicol
Maxwell
Mr.Bruce
DeanMcNicol
Merrill
Dr.
Mrs.
Elisa Morgan
Mr. Dean
Merrill
Dr.Elisa
Luis Morgan
Palau
Mrs.
Dr. Dr.
Gilbert
A. Peterson
Ray Ortlund
Rev.
Dr. Wes
LuisRoberts
Palau
& Mrs.
Jamie
Dr.Rev.
Gilbert
A. Peterson
Rassmussen
Rev. Wes Roberts
Mr. Jim Warren
Rev. & Mrs. Jamie
Dr.Rassmussen
Rick Warren
By Ben Carson
Zondervan
ISBN: 0310259738
Publishers
Catherine & David
Publishers
Martin
Catherine & David
Martin
Editors
Cheryl & Michael
Chiapperino
Editors
Cheryl & Michael
Chiapperino
22
I will never forget my trip to Singapore where I first met the infamous
Bijani Twins. Ladan and Laleh represented a true medical rarity. The odds
of giving birth to conjoined twins are about once in 200,000 births. The
odds of twins being conjoined at the head are about one in 2 million. Surviving beyond two years is rarely heard of. But the Bijani twins had reached
their 29th birthday.
They had adapted to their environments and had become educated,
productive citizens in their native Iran. Both had law degrees. But they were
at a life-altering crossroads because Laleh wanted to pursue a career in journalism while her sister wanted to continue in the legal field. For their whole
lives, whatever they did, whether going to the bathroom or to class, depended on the others cooperation.
The twins made contacts all over the world to find a surgeon to separate
them. No one was willing because the odds indicated that one if not both
would die. Finally, they located Dr. Keith Goh, who had successfully separated craniopagus twins. Dr. Goh contacted me to see if I would assist. At
first, I thought the surgery was too risky and even recommended that it not
happen. But once I met the twins and saw their determination to live separated lives even if the risk cost them their lives, I was willing to join the
team. They said, We would rather die than not pursue this if there is any
chance we could be free to live our own separate lives.
On the day before the surgery, I told the twins I would pray for them
before going to bed. I prayed for them, for the large team of doctors and
staff, and for myself. I prayed for Gods presence in the operating room
and for His strength and wisdom.
Before accepting my involvement in the surgery, I weighed the risks.
Some of my colleagues warned me that my reputation would be at risk if
the surgery failed. On the other hand, what if they did die and I did not
participate? I would wonder for the rest of my life if I could have made a
difference.
When I make major decisions, I go through an exercise of four questions
that serve as the basis for this book: What is the best/worst that can happen
if I do? What is the best/worst that can happen if I dont? In the Bijani
case, I felt an obligation to do everything I possibly could to help.
The Surgery
At various stages, we saw glimmers of hope and reasons to be ecstatic. We were able to overcome
a number of unexpected challenges.
Their two brains had become entwined over their 29-year lifespan.
We began the tedious task of separating one millimeter at a time.
The greatest challenge was stopping
the bleeding, because as soon as
we stopped one area, bleeding began in another. Without any warning Ladan arrested and could not
be revived. About 90 minutes later
her sister arrested as well, dying
from uncontrollable loss of blood.
Life
is
Risky
3
LIFE IS RISKY
continued from page 2
I warned the family that I had never attempted such a surgery; but after
studying the procedure, I agreed to give it a try, knowing that it was extremely
risky and that Maranda could very easily die as a result.
Despite the risks involved, my decision actually came very easily. If a
person is going to die without the surgery (as was the case with Maranda),
one has nothing to lose by trying. Thankfully, the surgery had a much better outcome than the Bijani twins surgery had.
4
EIGHT TRUTHS ABOUT RISK
continued from page 3
Life-Changing Risks
All through my life I have faced risks. Applying to Yale for college was
a risk because I had enough money to apply to one college only. While
at Yale, I took a huge risk by developing a relationship with Candy Rustin
who later became my wife. One of the greatest risks took place in med
school when my advisor suggested that I either drop out or take lighter
loads. Instead, I chose a third option. I designed a new method of studying, which proved to be the turning point in my med school years. Three
other risks deserve attention here because they helped shape my career.
5
LIFE-CHANGING RISKS
continued from page 4
In those cases for which the formula seems insufficient, try answering
the basic questions of who, what, where, when, how, and why. Who will
be most affected by the decisions? Who else will be affected? How will
the decision affect me?
What do I need to know? What am I willing to learn? Many times
other professionals will see that I am on to a good idea and will ask,
What can I do to help?
The where question needs to be asked from three different perspectives.
Your goals lead you ask, Where are you going? Your skills, thinking,
and attitudes lead you to ask, Where are you now? And your preparation
Because of my
personal value system,
because I know
why I do what I do,
Im usually more
than willing to
take a risk in
treating [people].
CBS
An Imposing Audience
My B/WA
B WA for Parents
One of the most difficult, yet significant, challenges known to man
is being a parent. Every parent every day must make decisions on behalf
of his children. Some carry more risk than others. The B/WA always
comes in handy.
Driving Privileges
Let me tell one story that shows how this formula helped us make a
family decision. Our third son, Rhoeyce, soon after he got his drivers
license, totaled our car when he lost control on a rain-slick road. Its a
miracle he survived the crash. We lectured him strongly; and he was humbly regretful. We had confidence in him. So we let him continue to drive.
77
But then we applied the formula. The best thing that could happen
if we didnt let him drive is that his odds for survival were better. The
best thing that could happen if we let him drive is that he could learn
from the previous two accidents and become an extremely good driver.
The worst thing that could happen if we didnt let him drive is that he
might lose so much confidence that he would never want to drive again.
The worst thing that could happen if we let him drive is that he could
die in another accident.
Other parents may have reached a different conclusion than we did.
But we let him continue driving. After factoring in his personality type,
we believed that letting him keep driving would be a tremendous boost
to his confidence. We told him we believed in him. Five years later he
was still free from accidents and traffic tickets.
Lets take a look at two random issues and learn how to apply the
B/WA formula. First is the issue of school choice. Should parents be
content with the public school system or should they look into private
schools? Homeschooling and private schooling are skyrocketing in enrollment. Many parents choose this route because they fear for their
childrens safety. A careful risk analysis would show that those fears are
largely unfounded. Children have a greater chance of dying in an accident
while traveling to school than being killed in some type of Columbine
tragedy. If the motive is concern for substandard education in public
schools, then that is a different story since 80 percent of sixth graders
cannot locate the United States on a map.
Second is the issue of the spiritual considerations related to education.
Do parents provide an educational environment that provides faith and
values or do they send them to public schools where the education is
becoming more and more anti-Christian? I made it fine in public schools
because my faith was deeply grounded; my mother and my church saw
to it.
That doesnt mean you should go the public education route, however. Each parent must weigh the risks. But it is critical that parents not
only protect their kids, but also prepare them for life in the real world.
CBS
Our National
Financial Crisis
Special Interests
8
B/WA FOR BIG RISKS
continued from page 7
special interest groups. Our elected officials are now spending up to half
their time raising money just to stay in office. We all know its a problem,
but we dont have a clue what to do about it. The very principles upon
which our country was founded are at risk. We must never forget that
the country exists to serve us, not to rule us.
Volume 4, Issue 26
Americans are far too complacent about the devastating effect gambling has on families and individual lives. I know this problem is not going away anytime soon. But when I received an invitation to speak to
a national convention of the gaming industry, I accepted. The approach
I used was to talk about the potential of the human brain. Then I challenged them to admit that their industry was not just entertainment,
but that it was actually ruining many lives.
I told them that I knew they were decent human beings who were
not bent on destroying lives. Certainly, they wanted their customers to
have fun. I just encouraged them to use their brains to come up with
a better way to provide entertainment without all the negative effects.
I suggested a type of card, like a credit card, whose limit was based on
a persons income. That way no one could spend rent or grocery money
on the machines.
I am not nave enough to think that all the conventioneers returned
to Vegas or Atlantic City and immediately implemented my ideas. But
I do believe that I planted many seeds in peoples minds that there could
be a less harmful way of doing business. The brain is all you need to
master any problem.
CBS
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