
Grief in Ethiopia as trailblazing Australian doctor dies - tagawa
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-51965688
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Abishek_Muthian
For those who wouldn't click the URL, I just want to state that the good
doctor died at 96 possibly due to old age related complications and this story
has nothing to do with COVID-19.

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calvinbhai
Thank you for saving many clicks! Pandemics are a great excuse for clickbaits!

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wetmore
How is the title clickbait?

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calvinbhai
TBH, right now any death reported in the news is equated as a result of
COVID19. At least I equate it so. Hence, it is a clickbait from my POV.

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eu7durb3rjdur
And then folks wonder why nobody takes words like click-bait seriously
anymore. It's people like you.

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nevster
Very glad to see this on Hacker News.

I had the fortune to meet her, as my dad was the architect of the new expanded
hospital that opened in 1999. Amazing woman.

Sydney Morning Herald obituary here :
[https://www.smh.com.au/national/gynaecologist-named-a-
nation...](https://www.smh.com.au/national/gynaecologist-named-a-national-
living-treasure-of-australia-20200319-p54boh.html)

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cs702
I had a chance to meet her as well, around 15 years ago, at a fundraising
event for the foundation. She was the real deal. Amazing woman. Amazing
dedication to a worthwhile cause.

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pkaye
I remember a Nova documentary about this...
[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/a-walk-to-
beautiful.html](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/a-walk-to-beautiful.html)

Edit: Also available on YouTube...
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HfPV7FEy6o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HfPV7FEy6o)

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troughway
Thank you for posting this. Documentaries like these shed light on the saints
that exist in this world.

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ohnope
To find such a clear North Star in your life, and then fully commit to it, in
a totally foreign culture no less, and to know your work has literally life
changing impact on others overlooked by society, must feel amazing.

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throwaway123x2
Meanwhile, I push pixels for a living. Sure gives you an inferiority complex.

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femto
I first learned of her work from the book "The Hospital by the River". It's
well worth reading. It can be bought directly from the Catherine Hamlin
Fistula Foundation website, thus helping the charity.

[https://store.hamlin.org.au/collections/books-alpha-
asc/prod...](https://store.hamlin.org.au/collections/books-alpha-
asc/products/thehospitalbytheriver)

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emmelaich
The HQ of her foundation is a few kms from me in Sydney. If you want to
donate, there's links here:

[https://hamlin.org.au/](https://hamlin.org.au/)

[https://fistulafoundation.org/](https://fistulafoundation.org/)

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rickdangerous1
I drive passed it regularly.

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Arubis
In the midst of so much confusion, this was a truly beautiful, necessary read.

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holler
Wow, what a touching story about an amazing woman and human being.

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spicymaki
I really wish I could make a difference like that.

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pxtail
Stories like this one usually give me bunch of really uneasy thoughts and
feelings. It is difficult to avoid comparing own life path and choices to
other people's - she achieved incredible things, saved lives and will be
inspiration for many. And here I am, sitting countless hours behind
screen,doing all these irrelevant things, writing code which _maybe_ will
increase someone's profit insignificantly. It is like it is.

~~~
femto
But working under Catherine Hamlin are a bunch of people doing "irrelevant"
things. Someone has to empty the garbage bins in the wards, but the hospital
wouldn't work without that person. You don't have to run the show to be making
a contribution.

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subpixel
You can, however, choose the circus you join. If you feel meh about what you
do and you feel meh - or worse - about the organization you do it for, it's
normal to feel uncomfortable.

~~~
alltakendamned
I've always wondered how an infosec specialisation could contribute to this
kind of organisation instead of working exclusively for massive companies. I
just have not seen the possibility yet I guess.

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selimthegrim
She seems similar to
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Pfau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Pfau)

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FpUser
One of the few true saints.

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spqr233
sad to see such a great person go

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justlexi93
My heart goes to her family during this tough time. Her contribution will
never be forgotten.

