Yesterday, the unexpected death of a true giant, Dr. Paul Farmer, triggered this post. We truly lost a great one. A few years ago, I got a chance to meet with Dr. Paul Farmer at a conference at Harvard. We spoke for a few minutes after the conference and he requested that I sent him an email so that we can sit down and chat a bit more about my plan for Guinea. I truly did not know who he was. I did not know how “big” he was. I do not even recall what prompted me to attend this conference.
Fast-forward, a few month later, a friend sent me the book Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. Sarah Glover truly believed that I would like the book. Instead of reading her copy, I decided to listen to the book. Through Mountains Beyond Mountains, I remembered Dr. Paul Farmer, as someone who dedicated his life to fighting a losing battle.
He allowed me to realize that poverty was not just a lack of resources, but it was also an absence of dignity. As a physician, he was not just fighting to cure and care for the poor. He was also fighting to dignify them.
So, the world has lost a great one, a model. Paul was not just another person doing some good work. He was, has been and will remain an inspiration, the shining light on the top of the mountain for all those striving to dignify the forgotten.
Rest in peace Paul Farmer…
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