Climbing, Injury & Perspective

My hands connect two important parts of my life: eye surgery and climbing.

In the operating room, their movements are small and deliberate. On rock, they search for purchase, feel texture, and help me move through unfamiliar terrain. Both activities demand attention, but they place very different demands on my body.

The Part I Need to Acknowledge

Over the past six months, I have experienced climbing-related injuries in both hands.

That is part of my story, too. It would be incomplete to write only about summits, strength, and perseverance without acknowledging the physical cost that can accompany them.

Being a surgeon does not make me immune to injury. Being an experienced climber does not remove the risks of the sport.

Passion and Responsibility

Climbing is deeply important to me. So is the trust my patients place in me.

I do not believe that loving a demanding sport excuses overlooking its consequences. My responsibility as a surgeon includes taking my own health and function seriously. Decisions about surgical readiness must rest on appropriate assessment, not on determination or reassurance alone.

These injuries have brought the relationship between ambition and responsibility into sharper focus.

A Different Kind of Strength

Climbing encourages persistence. Injury asks a different question: can I bring the same discipline to patience, recovery, and respecting limits?

That is not always comfortable. When an activity is part of your identity, changing your plans can feel personal. But there is value in being willing to reassess what you ask of yourself.

I am still learning how to hold ambition and restraint together.

What I Want to Carry Forward

I love climbing, and I love eye surgery. I want to approach both with honesty, care, and respect for the hands that make them possible.

The mountains remain a source of joy and perspective. They also remind me that judgment matters as much as effort and that a meaningful life includes learning when to change course.

KEEP LEARNING & KEEP CLIMBING.

With patience, perspective, and respect for my limits.