such as Global Lyme Alliance and Project Lyme. dangers of Lyme disease. To help ac- complish that, she's been featured as an expert in media outlets, including Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, and Cosmopolitan magazines, Fox 5, and the ABC television network, and she has a far-reaching presence on social media: Instagram (@drelenafrid), Twitter (@ElenaFridMD), Facebook (@drele- nafrid), and her own Youtube channel (Lyme Talk with Dr. Frid). including the fact that testing can be inaccurate. In particular, she wants people to realize that a negative Lyme test can create a false sense of security. If the physician suspects the disease or has a patient who isn't responding to mainstream medical treatment, the history and retested frequently or re- ferred to a specialist. "A sudden onset of symptoms that appear to indicate a psychiatric disorder or an accumula- tion of symptoms over a short period of time are signs," says Dr. Frid. "Time is of the essence--the longer you wait, the longer and more com- plex the treatment becomes." School--working with medical stu- dents to make them aware of the nature of this disease. Dr. Frid also serves as vice president of the Alumni Association board. the work we're doing," she says. "That's the benefit and joy that come from getting it right." plaining the fiction of free time. "A little girl who will be 1." Flash still aims high. She pauses, con- sidering if she should put her profes- sional goal out there. says at first. confides. "I wanted to develop HIV treatment programs that are multidis- ciplinary, that serve families and not just individuals, and impact communi- ties. These protective agents are going to change the face of HIV. Is it crazy to say I want to end AIDS? It will put me out of business--but I want there to be no HIV." a provisional field hospital in ined a 15-year-old patient with ex- treme shortness of breath and a de- bilitating cough. After taking the girl's history, she learned that the con- dition had persisted since the child was 7 years old. Dr. Desruisseaux ordered an X-ray, which showed an enlarged heart and atrial septal defect--a hole between the upper chambers of the heart--that required advanced surgery not available in Haiti. Without an operation, the girl would live only a few more years. cians at Montefiore: Daphne T. Hsu, MD, professor of pediatrics and chief, division of pediatric cardiolo- gy, and Samuel Weinstein, MD, who was then director of pediatric car- diothoracic surgery. "Desperate to help her," she described the girl and her condition. Upon her return, she continued to build the case for sur- gery and, through the Gift of Life Foundation, raised funds for the child's journey to New York. performed a three-hour, open-heart procedure, which successfully re- paired the defect. A day later, their young patient was released and was soon on her way home, after an- nouncing her new dream: to become a doctor. |