Memorial: RIP Marla Ruzicka

I might just be in an overly emotional mood given a high level of stress induced by an evil medical school test, but the story of Marla Ruzicka really touched me. Ms. Ruzicka had enough courage to go to Iraq and help count the number of Iraqi victims of war - the people we hardly hear about here in the US, and the people of whom the US "officially" does not keep tallies . Her memorial service was held Saturday, and there is more about her work trying to get surgery for a 12-year-old Iraqi boy, Rakan Hassan, who was injured when US troops mistakenly fired on his family's car. I'm not quite sure I was moved to start sobbing while reading this story, but here is one of the quotes that really got the tears flowing:

Rakan said he felt sorry for Ruzicka's parents because "she cared about me. I should care about her family in return."

The simplicity in this young man's statement is breathtaking, and I wish more of us in the world could have this attitude of caring for others. Maybe I feel bad because it's easy to forget or become desensitized to the fact that there are still a large number of people dying in Iraq, both Americans and Iraqis, while I sit here in Ann Arbor feeling sorry for myself. I have the luxury of attending medical school and studying for 12 hours a day, while sipping expensive coffee at Starbucks, safely and securely, while across the world there are people like Ms. Ruzicka and most of our US troops who are risking their lives to help out a citizens of a country in turmoil. This story puts life into perspective, as hokey and blase as that sounds, and the passion that Ms. Ruzicka had for her work inspires awe. May she rest in peace, and may the good works that she started continue on in Iraq.