I am broken hearted.....
 

We have lost yet another world renown doctor....a trauma surgeon that, among his many, many accolades, was instrumental in starting our air ambulance service, LifeFlight, out of Herman Hospital. When LifeFlight first started up, I wanted to fly on it as that was right up my alley, emergency medicine and air ambulance, what could be better!....but after a ride in a helicopter, I became violently airsick...there is NOTHING like the sensation of a helicopter swinging and swaying and hovering....he laughed at my air sickness, and reminded me they couldnt take care of a violently airsick flight nurse in addition to a patient. He presented me with a tiny little LifeFlight helicopter pin for my lapel....and I went on down the road in the medical center to work with the Methodist surgeons in their cardiovascular unit, Fondren CVICU.

I am slowly scratching off all "my docs" from the list I have, for my family and myself to go to for any given health crisis event.....they are all dying off or retiring....my two page list is down to about half a page now....

God speed, Dr.Red....all of us that have known you and worked with you, will miss you terribly, as will the entire medical profession...he gave soooooooo much to medicine, and his legacy will continue to give to, enlighten, and support the advancement of medicine.

My your friend / colleague RIP...he sounded like a wonderful man who is leaving quite a legacy.

We loved Dr. Red here in Dallas, too, Judy. He seemed to be quite a Texas gem and such a character & apparently knew absolutely EVERY doctor in Texas at one time. He will be sorely missed.

So sorry for your loss, he was truly a great man and a great doctor. I will post a montage and a tribute.

First, the montage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTZCz3-UWow

Now, a tribute by his colleagues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf303ZNlSUQ

He was a GREAT and WONDERFUL man. He will surely be missed.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Thank you so much for doing this in his honor....I have no idea how to do such postings, and if anyone has not heard of Red or his wonderful, kind, gentle, spirit and all the unbelievable, fantastic contributions he made to the medical profession, medical helicopters flying all over the USA as continuations of his dream of a LifeFlight that he started right here in Houston, all the patients he touched, all the co-workers that absolutely adored him....I cant believe he is gone....I told my brother, I am loosing all the wonderful friends and doctors I have known, loved, and worked with over my 30+ year career in the greatest medical center in the world....all my precious docs and surgeons, and yes, even a couple of not so precious, sweet, gentle personalities, but still irrepressible giants in their field that managed to teach me so much about critical care medicine/open heart surgery/transplants....Lord, this really sets you back on your heels and you REALLY start thinking about your OWN time left and what YOU may have done that has helped another living person.....

I was listening to the radio this morning and it was beyond amazing. Calls were pouring in, with people telling their stories of how he saved their limbs and their lives. You were so blessed to have known him and to have worked along side of him.

Here is a video about Dr. Red and LifeFight. https://youtu.be/myHMjiNs94w


Texas and Yorkimom1, I'm sorry for the loss of such a great man.

Thank you for the memories.....watched all those clips and brought me back to the "good old days" when I thought that was the only thing in life...eat, sleep, and breathe trauma nursing and LifeFlight and "shock rooms" at Ben Taub, which were the trauma rooms in ER at Ben Taub....we always told our patients "if we can get you to the Shock Rooms alive, at Taub or Memorial Herman, chances are 99% in your favor, you will make it!"

It was great watching all those clips.....shook the cobwebs out of alot of memories.....what a shame to get to an age where you can no longer do what was a major, driving force of your very existence when you were young.....

I do have my little helicopter pin for the wonderful memories this great man has given so many of us.....