Brothers on a Mission: Two Perspectives
Reflections from John Ramey '95 and Stephen Ramey '09 on a medical mission trip they shared to Romania.
Paladins on the medical missions team, from left: John Ramey ’95, Stephen Ramey ’09, Richard Monk ’04 and Amanda Wrenn ’03.
It is hard to imagine that 15 years ago I walked onto Furman’s beautiful
campus as a freshman, but it is even more difficult to believe that my
little brother, Stephen, was old enough to become a Furman freshman in
the fall of 2005. When I was a freshman in 1991, my brother was 5, a kindergartener.
I did not have the chance to spend much time with him during his childhood
years because after graduating from Furman, I spent nine years in medical
training at the Medical University of South Carolina, Wake Forest University
Baptist Medical Center and the University of South Florida. I then started
practicing medicine as an allergist and immunologist in Charleston, S.C.
Since almost fourteen years separated us growing up and we never lived
in the same city after I went to Furman, I have always treasured the times
that we have spent together.
Therefore, it was with great excitement that I asked my brother to accompany
me on a weeklong medical mission trip to Romania last summer. I had previously
taken medical mission trips to Honduras and Ecuador and had been looking
forward to another excursion. Since my brother is a pre-med student, I
thought that this would be an excellent opportunity for him to discover
whether medicine was indeed his calling. We would be going with Medical
Campus Outreach, a group that mentors students on the MUSC campus and
sponsors a mission trip every year.
We arrived in Oradea, Romania, in June 2006 with approximately 50 health
care professionals. We were surprised to discover four other Furman graduates
on the medical team: Philip McGaha ’89, a Charleston pediatrician,
and medical students Brian Reinhardt ’00, Amanda Wrenn ’03
and Richard Monk ’04. It was encouraging to see that others in the
Furman family shared our passion to minister and help people through medical
missions.
Just 17 years prior to our visit, Romania had been a Communist country.
Since the revolution and overthrow of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, the quality
of Romanian health care has been declining. Even though many Romanian
physicians studied in Europe’s most prestigious medical universities
and have excellent medical skills, they don’t have the equipment
or medications to provide high quality care.
Clinics and hospitals are in disrepair and use out-of-date equipment.
They often have mold growing on the walls and ceiling lights that don’t
work. Many small children, abandoned at birth, end up living in these
hospitals. These children are destined to grow up in hospitals because
Romania has outlawed both orphanages and foreign adoption.
Many Romanians believe that physicians are apathetic and care only about
money, and it is true that even though medical care in Romania is socialized
and should be free, some physicians require bribes before they will care
for patients. Often Romanians cannot afford to pay these bribes, since
the average monthly salary is about $400. So their frustration and bitterness
toward the health care system are understandable.
We worked in a children’s hospital, a home hospice, an adult hospital
and local villages, trying all the while to model the Medical Campus Outreach’s
goal of practicing “Christ-like medicine with compassion, competence
and character.” The Romanian people were surprised and excited to
see American doctors who actually cared and listened to their problems.
One of the saddest moments on the trip came when we saw a two-week-old
boy with a heart defect. The child’s body was blue due to a lack
of oxygen. In the States, surgery could have fixed the problem. However,
his family was poor and could not afford surgery. It was humbling and
frustrating to see this family leave the hospital with their dying child.
For me, the trip was a life-altering experience. Although it was disheartening
to see the lack of good medical care in Romania, it was uplifting to see
the compassion of the mission trip participants, including that of my
brother and four other Furman alumni. This summer I hope to do more medical
mission work with even more Furman Paladins.
Stephen Ramey outside the government-run medical clinic in Romania.
A Desire to Serve
Almost anyone who steps onto Furman’s campus, it seems, becomes
infected with a passionate desire to serve others and to really make a
difference in the world. This aspect is, for me, one of the most important
features of a Furman education.
Last June I joined my brother, John, a 1995 Furman graduate, on a trip
to Romania with the Medical University of South Carolina’s chapter
of Medical Campus Outreach. John had told me about his previous experiences
on international medical mission trips, but I could not truly understand
the impact such trips could have until I had been on one myself. While
expecting to be given a variety of simple tasks, I had no idea I would
learn so much about the medical community in both Romania and the United
States and would meet so many amazing, service-minded people.
When I arrived in Romania, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that several
Furman alumni were on the trip. It was great to talk with them about shared
traditions, professors and experiences. However, it was even better to
see how driven they were to succeed and how much their definition of success
depended on helping others. We shared a bond not only because of our alma
mater but also because of our shared goals.
While in Romania, I learned some new skills, such as taking blood pressure
and checking pulses. More importantly, I learned what it meant to be a
caring medical professional. The men and women on this trip really wanted
to go beyond basic physical care for patients. The doctors, medical students,
pharmacists and nurses demonstrated their desire to practice medicine
with love and service.
My brother, in one of the most memorable portions of the trip for me,
spoke about our 39-year-old cousin, Lisa, who had died the day we left
for Romania, leaving behind her husband and two young sons. John told
about her experiences with different doctors during her nine-week struggle
with lung cancer. Her doctor’s caring and patience throughout this
painful time served as an excellent example of what a doctor should be.
During my mornings in Romania, I usually accompanied social workers into
the community. While visiting with families in their homes and with children
in orphanages, I realized how easy it is to become complacent in the United
States and to forget the problems of others.
I saw a family of seven living in a two-room house and struggling to survive
on a meager salary. In one orphanage I saw a boy with spina bifida, who
would remain in the same bed for the rest of his life. The caretakers
in the orphanage explained to me that they could not obtain the same quality
of medical care for the boy that he could receive in the States. Seeing
just a few of the problems in a city halfway around the world helped me
understand how much there is to do and how great is the need for selfless
medical professionals.
Going to Romania served not only as a valuable experience but also as
a reminder of the necessity of service and as a reinforcement of my love
for Furman. I plan to continue helping others in my community during my
remaining time at Furman and after I graduate. I also hope that I will
continue to meet more Furman students and alumni who use their gifts in
service for others.