Dr. Joseph Munalula Chishimba writes:
These past few days (starting from Tuesday) marked an extraordinary milestone in my life and career as a rising medical professional.
I lived a moment I can only describe as beyond extraordinary.
I joined the FlySpec team on a surgical outreach mission to Mazabuka General Hospital, providing free reconstructive live changing surgical care to communities in remote parts of Zambia.
What made this particular mission exceptional was the presence of renowned Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Dr. Goran Jovic, a wonderful figure in global reconstructive surgery.
For many young Medical Doctors, sharing an operating room with such a distinguished surgeon would be a dream opportunity.But for Me, the moment carried a deeper, profoundly personal significance.
More than 25 years ago, when access to specialized surgical care was limited, it was Dr. Goran who repaired my cleft lip and palate, an operation that changed the course of my life.
Growing up, my mother mentioned only one name whenever a conversation around that procedure came: “Dr. Goran.”
So That name became my compass, inspiring me to pursue medicine and surgery and shaping my passion to become, for others, what Dr. Goran had been for me: a vessel of hope, restoring lives one smile at a time.
In an unexpected and breathtaking plot twist, At Mazabuka General Hospital, I scrubbed into theatre not as a patient, but as a doctor, standing side by side with the very surgeon who operated on me decades ago, Dr Goran.
Together, As He guided me, We performed cleft lip and palate repair on a young child, mirroring the very procedure that transformed My own life decades earlier.
It was the first case of the day, yet a moment that I will remember for a lifetime.
What are the odds?
From under the blade… to holding the blade.
Abba has been Gracious🙇🏾♂️ upward and forward only. Learning from the very best!
PS
I’m framing these pictures.