Great success is born of passion that defies intellectual assent alone. Triumphant scientists are truly zealous for research. Victorious politicians are infatuated with their causes. Enviable couples are deeply in love with one another. While duty and commitment have their proper place, any formula for success is accelerated by infusing heartfelt enthusiasm.
What allures health professionals to serve in developing nations? Financial incentives do not exist. Creature comforts are sparse. Family and friends are distant. Language learning is often unpleasant. Why do they do it? INMED’s President, Nicholas Comninellis, exemplifies the power of passion. His experience at the Clinica Evangelica Morava particularly enflamed his heart. For two months he worked under Dr. Sam Marx, at this rural mission hospital on the east coast of Honduras. Said Dr. Comninellis, “I was deliberately seeking a focus for my life by weighing options, praying, and counseling with wise people. But it was an experience at the Clinica that focused my vision. A mother brought her 2-month old daughter, Flora, down river by dugout canoe. She was convulsing from infection with cerebral malaria. As I examined the infant the mother explained that she had no money and no where to turn.”
“I was determined to keep this girl from dying,” Dr. Comninellis expressed with zeal. “I stayed up with Flora an entire night managing her seizures, fluids and medications. As morning dawned, for the first time little Flora opened her eyes. And at that moment I recognized the passion within me. Saving people like Flora became the focus of my career.” Dr. Comninellis went on to serve inner city citizens at Shanghai Charity Hospital and in the war-besieged city of Huambo, Angola, before founding INMED in 2003. What ignites your passions? How will you act upon them?