posted November 02, 2005 04:52 AM         

Very sentimental but true for Docs as well, when they see life and Death to nearest possible core -- Docs though not always senti about the facts of life but somethings do shake them -- A TRUE STORY - Hope u like it ---

A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the
Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade." It won't be. In fact, unless
you obtain a copy of the US paper which published it, you probably would
never have seen it.

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander
Armas, who is being operated on by a surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby
was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his
mother's womb.

Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She
knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Va
nderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special
operations while the baby is still
in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes
a small incision to operate on the baby.

As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his
tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the
surgeon's finger.

Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was
the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the
procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile. The photograph captures
this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture,
"Hand of Hope."

The text explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus
Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger
of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life."

Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture.

She said, "The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an
illness, it's about a little person." Samuel was born in perfect health,
the operation 100 percent successful.
Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome ... incredible ... and hey,
pass it on.

The world needs to see this one!