“Prioritizing your traumas” is one I will remember as well.

God Bless,
Patsy

Peace.

Richard

Those who know will understand.

Great post Sarah!

Best wishes to you and yours Tom!

Take care Tom and best wishes to your family.

What I think some of these comments have missed is that Tom and his family were, I think, quite cognizant of their privilege and luck in being able to bring Liza home as they did. As I spoke to Dylan throughout this process, he expressed nothing but awe, gratitude, and a very real awareness of how lucky he was that Liza wasn’t more badly hurt, how lucky we are that we don’t live somewhere where this is commonplace, how lucky and privileged he was to have the dean of the medical school on board, to be able to get the medevac plane, etc, etc.

I think this comes across in Tom’s piece as well, if it is read without an eye to blame. I, for one, read his comment that “lots of hurdles, clearances, insurance mazes — and money — before the planes will move,” as a reflection on the sorry state of affairs in which a great deal of money is necessary to get these things done – and on the real tragedy that for many people, these planes will not and cannot move. Likewise, the doctor’s comment that sticks with Tom, “you have to prioritize your traumas,” is meant to be heartbreaking and chilling, not to imply that Liza’s trauma is more important than those of others on the bus merely because she is a US national, a medical student, Tom’s daughter-in-law, etc.

It is true that in writing about what touches one’s own family we perhaps have a tendency to inflate the scope of a tragedy or to disregard the luck, privilege, or blessings that have come our way, but I don’t think that’s what’s happening here. I also don’t doubt that this experience has changed the way that those involved think about precisely these issues: luck, privilege, care, heroism, violence, tragedy. And I trust that, as Richard aptly suggests, we will see this awareness reflected in Tom’s coverage.

I believe I(and JL) would do everything at our disposal to bring our loved one home. True, some of us would have a harder time doing it, but we would try every way we could to make any headway. I, like most readers/commenters, just send our best wishes for a full recovery for Tom’s daughter in law. I can only imagine my stress level if the story had been about one of my children and their families.

Many ideas for shows in this incident: dangers of traveling to places like Honduras or Mexico City, how medical outreach works (and doesn’t), or maybe a more general show conflating this incident with the K2 accident under the umbrella of personal risk and responsibility. There is a risk in venturing into places where support is difficult or impossible and when those places are remote with politics involved things get hairy.

PS: Such is the internet that JL’s comment stands and no doubt hurt’s Tom’s raw feelings. If this conversation were happening in Tom’s or JL’s living room, I doubt JL’s attitude would be the same. I’m not sure if Wen will take the comment down but I suggest Wen and JL read this post by Derek Powazek: 10 Ways Newspapers Can Improve Comments. OnPoint isn’t a newspaper but the list will be useful reading for both moderators and commenters.

But to the insensitive JL – Where is your humanity? Or empathy? A family went through a stressful, chaotic, emotional episode. They called upon every resource at their disposal, just as you and yours would. Don’t belittle them for doing their utmost. And please don’t begrudge another for their position in life, better or worse, or a father for pride in is son’s efforts during difficult times. Could you imagine the converse? Quite frankly, in the face of their situation, you cynicism makes me sick.

Mr. Ashbrook, I don’t mean to seem churlish, but I do not care to read about the faux-harrowing adventures of your daughter-in-law and your oh-so-connected son. She’s a student at UCSF medical school, one of the finest medical schools in the country. And I can just imagine what causes your son to work in a downtown San Francisco skyscraper. Law? Investment banking? Hedge fund?

I have all the sympathy for your daughter-in-law, and wish her and her husband all the best. But are you so dense that you cannot realize that only the wealthiest Americans can afford to charter a medevac jet when a loved one suffers a serious injury overseas? Not all of us can get the dean of UCSF medical school to intervene.

You were “in awe” as you watched your son work the phones. Please. Once upon a time you were a reporter, right? Working the phones and calling all and sundry is what you did for a living. Tell me your son isn’t determined enough, resourceful enough, rich enough, and above all, well-connected enough to do the same thing when his wife is seriously injured?

Aside from a gratuitous “Thank God” your missive conveys no sense of gratitude. You give us a full measure of everyone’s suffering, inconvenience and heroism, but no sense of gratitude that your family belongs to the class in America that has the wherewithal to resolve these sorts of situations in 48 hours. It had to be left to Mr. Kevin Green, a commentator, to express the appreciation for this country that your story inexplicably omitted.

Next time you choose to share your vacation adventures with your listeners, please pause and reflect that not all of us can afford to go to school in New Haven, can afford to attend medical school (even a state school such as UCSF), or work in powerful, high-paying jobs in skyscrapers, or have the clout of a nationally syndicated public radio host. Some of us are just plain folks. I wish Liza a speedy recovery and best wishes to you and your family.