REDLANDS, Calif., Oct. 7, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- George M. Abouna was born in a small village in Iraq and developed the ambitious dream of becoming a physician early in life. Through hardship and strife, his determination proved strong enough to allow him to achieve his dream and become a renowned surgeon. Samir Johna tells the story of his mentor in George M. Abouna: The History of a Pioneer in Transplant Surgery (now available through AuthorHouse).
From the depths of poverty in the Middle East, Abouna rose out of the conditions of his birth. He longed to be a physician, and although his plans were temporarily derailed because he accepted an engineering scholarship in the United Kingdom, he eventually became a respected figure in one of the most innovative aspects of medicine: organ transplantation.
His success caused animosity among his colleagues, who started a political war and forced Abouna into voluntary exile. Their jealousy pushed him into a new country, but he emerged stronger than ever. Later he would relocate to America, where he continues to make a difference for transplant patients.
Johna, fascinated by Abouna's achievement and his contributions to surgical education in the Middle East, writes not only about a fellow doctor, but also a man who is Assyrian, a Christian minority in Mesopotamia nearly wiped out by the Ottoman Empire. "Today as we struggle for existence in our homeland, a man like George Abouna is a triumph against all atrocities and a sure sign that our nation is still viable," Johna writes.
A captivating story about the power of tenacity, compassion and strength, George M. Abouna: The History of a Pioneer in Transplant Surgery is inspiring and enlightening.
Johna, was born and raised in the suburbs of Baghdad, Iraq. He graduated from the University of Baghdad College of Medicine in 1983 before serving six years in the Iraqi military during the first and second Gulf Wars. After moving to the United States, he joined the faculty at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, where he currently is an associate clinical professor of surgery. Other books by Johna include The Memoirs of Allen Oldfather Whipple: The Man Behind the Whipple Operation and Twenty-Five Years in Prison: The Memoirs of Mary Allen Whipple (also available through AuthorHouse).
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