Leaving on a jet plane

To borrow from one of my favorite 60s classic folk songs, "All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go"! Yes, in a few days I will be on my way to South Africa for another incredible journey of hope. It was almost five years ago this week that I made my first trip with Jamie, who was then 17 years old. As I approach my upcoming trip, I find myself reflecting on all that has changed in this rather brief period of time. Jamie, now 22, just graduated from Amherst College. She is moving into NYC on Tuesday and will soon start her first "real" job at a global health consulting firm. It is so exciting to realize that she is embarking on a career in global health, an interest which was undoubtedly shaped in its infancy during that first trip to Durban in 2006. It is amazing to realize what a profoundly impactful summer that proved to be for both of us and how it has set us both on a new and exciting path.

I recall the nervous anticipation we both experienced as we prepared for that first summer of volunteering. We wondered what our days at the hospital would be like and how we would be able to contribute--whether we would have the emotional strength to witness the illness and suffering that we would undoubtedly encounter, and what our reaction would be. Would we fit in and be able to navigate the differences of the Zulu people, language and culture? And most importantly, would we be able to make any kind of meaningful difference to people suffering from poverty and illness and the challenges posed by a highly stigmatized disease?

Today I sit here with the normal nervous energy that precedes any big trip, but with a very different internal calm and confidence, and a profound sense of hope. This is a transformation which has grown with time, familiarity and knowledge, and from the progress I have made with the Gift of Hope program. Much has happened since that first visit in July 2006, when I found myself standing in the OR, dressed in green surgical scrubs, and holding the hand of a total stranger, while she delivered her baby via cesarean section. That beautiful, healthy, little girl, whose smile is as big and bright as her personality, will be celebrating her 5th birthday on July 7th. And like every year since her birth, I will be visiting with her and celebrating her life, her good health, and the very special bond we share. It was this truly life changing experience which formed the foundation of the Gift of Hope, a program which has since funded more than 60 HIV positive women with the needed services to prevent transmission of the virus to their newborns.

It is these special, personal connections --like the ones I also share with many of the110 children being sponsored for care and treatment through the Gift of Hope, which create the richness of my experience. And it is the hope that is being given to women and children for a healthy future and a new generation born free of HIV/AIDS, which motivates me to continue my efforts and return to South Africa every year.

So I leave in a few days with excitement, optimism and my passion for this work, and I invite any of you who wish to follow me on this amazing journey of hope.