Living Dangerously (well, not really)
Jan 30, 2008 @ 03:03 PM
We get the
Costco Connections newsletter as members. (Remember,
we have a big family-- Costco is a great place for
us!) There was an interesting article about the new
book
Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose and Live
with Acceptable Risk by Dr. Ben Carson. I'll
quote from the article:
"How risky is it to separate conjoined twins? Dr. Ben Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, says he doesn't think about his work in those terms. "You don't go into a field that requires cracking people's heads open or operating on something as delicate as the spinal cord unless you are comfortable with taking risks.
The surgeon realizes that in our security-obsessed culture his attitude is unique, and that's why he felt compelled to issue a wake-up call. "I've wanted to send a message to Americans that we've become a nation of yellow-bellies... What we're buying, and what everyone is selling us, is the promise of security. et the only thing we can be sure of is that someday every one of us will die."
He gives a list for dealing with important decisions.
"What is the best thing that can happen if I do this?
What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
What is the best thing that can happen if I don't do this?
What is the worst thing that can happen if I don't do this?"
The article concludes with the following quote:
"Being successful is simply a matter of making good choices by using our incredibly sophisticated brains," says Carson... "We all have the means to analyze risks and decide which are worth taking and which should be avoided. That's a simple but powerful prescription for life, love and success in a dangerous world."
I believe this has incredible ramifications for parents. The best thing that can happen with a cochlear implant is that a child can function as well as their hearing peers in all situations. The worst? It doesn't work, which is extremely rare. Then they will follow a different path. The best thing that can happen if one doesn't implant is that the child might function well only with other signing deaf, and might have interpreters, accomodations and TTYs to help them cope with the rest of life. Many function, but it isn't the same. The worst that can happen if a parent doesn't implant is that the child never fully grasps English and can only speak with a limited number of individuals and feels isolated from the mainstream.
Clearly, the risk is well worth it. It has the low risks of many outpatient surgeries... but with a lifetime of communication benefit.
"How risky is it to separate conjoined twins? Dr. Ben Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, says he doesn't think about his work in those terms. "You don't go into a field that requires cracking people's heads open or operating on something as delicate as the spinal cord unless you are comfortable with taking risks.
The surgeon realizes that in our security-obsessed culture his attitude is unique, and that's why he felt compelled to issue a wake-up call. "I've wanted to send a message to Americans that we've become a nation of yellow-bellies... What we're buying, and what everyone is selling us, is the promise of security. et the only thing we can be sure of is that someday every one of us will die."
He gives a list for dealing with important decisions.
"What is the best thing that can happen if I do this?
What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
What is the best thing that can happen if I don't do this?
What is the worst thing that can happen if I don't do this?"
The article concludes with the following quote:
"Being successful is simply a matter of making good choices by using our incredibly sophisticated brains," says Carson... "We all have the means to analyze risks and decide which are worth taking and which should be avoided. That's a simple but powerful prescription for life, love and success in a dangerous world."
I believe this has incredible ramifications for parents. The best thing that can happen with a cochlear implant is that a child can function as well as their hearing peers in all situations. The worst? It doesn't work, which is extremely rare. Then they will follow a different path. The best thing that can happen if one doesn't implant is that the child might function well only with other signing deaf, and might have interpreters, accomodations and TTYs to help them cope with the rest of life. Many function, but it isn't the same. The worst that can happen if a parent doesn't implant is that the child never fully grasps English and can only speak with a limited number of individuals and feels isolated from the mainstream.
Clearly, the risk is well worth it. It has the low risks of many outpatient surgeries... but with a lifetime of communication benefit.