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Robert Chandler Stever
Robert Chandler Stever graduated from Swarthmore College in 1957 and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in 1961. He moved with his wife to Seattle for an internship. Bef...view moreRobert Chandler Stever graduated from Swarthmore College in 1957 and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in 1961. He moved with his wife to Seattle for an internship. Before starting the practice of medicine, he volunteered for two years of medical care in Kratie, Cambodia, sponsored by CARE. It was a challenging time when war was heating up a few miles away in Vietnam. Two flew to Cambodia, and three returned with another in process. Magic moments.
Over a lifetime, his subconscious helped record numerous very special short stories resulting in the book, Magic Moments as Paths Cross.
One story told of a mountain-tribe couple hiking for two days with a dying baby boy. Arriving at 3 a.m., the startled doctor opened the front door just as the baby gasped and stopped breathing with pneumonia and severe dehydation. The mother thrust the baby into Stever’s arms, where chest compressions started his breathing again. They rushed to an emergency room across the street with no night staffing. The couple followed nonverbal instructions, holding an oxygen mask on his face and holding arms while a tiny needle searched for a tiny vein. It worked. Stable now, the couple with the baby were moved to the ward, also with no staffing till a few hours later. They learned to control the IV. With their care, the baby thrived. They went home two weeks later.
As they prepared for their long hike home, the mother thrust a tiger’s claw into Stever’s palm, curled his fingers around it, and pressed his hand to his heart. It was their most valuable item for luck. He watched them begin their two-day trek home in the high mountains. She wore a handwoven sheath, and his shoulder carried tiny curare-tipped darts in a sheath and little bow, part of their dress code.
Never assume the uneducated are dumb. Respect matters.
One-on-one medical care practice leaves little legacy. However, one day, Stever tried to teach a TB patient not to cough on his kids. The patient didn’t understand until he looked into a microscope with a glass slide of sputum. The bacteria danced. Suddenly, the patient realized that diseases like TB and others were not caused by evil spirits, but by bacteria. Word spread across Cambodia—cover mouth when coughing. They all did.
Another memorable story involved his trip to Cambodia with the first planeload of food and medicine sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee in November 1979. Pol Pot fled when the Vietnam government ordered invasion of Cambodia. Stever toured the various torture rooms and saw fifteen foot piles of bones and skulls, all neatly stacked. He heard a story from refugees returning home. He still understood some Khmer language. One told about a pregnant woman who wanted the day off from required hard labor on the rice fields. As an example, they tortured her in unprintable ways until death. That was when Stever learned that much of the torture and terrible stuff had been done by kids younger than twelve, taken from parents during the four-plus years of Pol Pot and taught to be killers. It was like shades of Lord of the Flies. Sadly, Stever also learned Pol Pot had learned from the Chinese Party of Four, who wanted to do much the same in China except the country was too vast for such terrible microcontrol. The party folded in disgrace. An interesting Chinese philosophy said the political winds blow like wind on grass then pass so the grass stands again.
In 1964, Stever joined the number one top-rated health-care organization as rated by Harvard, GHC (later becoming GHP). GHC/P has huge support as a cooperative from super dedicated members. It began in the late 40s, with idealistic doctors and dedicated members all striving for the best in medical care.
Stever’s e-mail is rstever166@aol.com.view less
Books by Robert Chandler Stever
The Strange Request Sparks Adventures Magic Moments as Paths Cross Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Adventure Around the World: To Harvest and Invest World Wealth Without Harming the Earth and Have Fun Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRip Tide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLa Doña: One Person as Three Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings