Dr. Morton Doran has been appointed a member of the Order of Canada for his efforts to raise awareness of Tourette Syndrome (TS) and for his commitment to medical education.
Dr. Doran, who practised in Williams Lake in the 1980s, was already a successful surgeon when he realized he had the neurological condition, and he says if he’d known about it earlier he probably wouldn’t have pursued a medical career. He was the inspiration behind an episode of the TV series, Chicago Hope, that featured a surgeon with TS, and his personal experience was told in neurologist Oliver Sack’s 1995 book, An Anthropologist on Mars.
He has inspired many people to follow their dreams in spite of challenging circumstances. After leaving the lakecity Dr. Doran practiced in Cranbrook and was a medical lecturer at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine.
***
More and more people these days have smart phones glued to their hands and are either texting or talking on them.
I have a mobile phone. I think it’s smarter than me. My family says to carry it with me so I can phone for help if necessary. Unfortunately my phone doesn’t always co-operate. Most times when I want to use it either the battery is dead or the phone is at home getting itself recharged.
New Year’s resolution — do better with this. Traditional aids like canes don’t always cooperate either. A lot of walking surfaces are icy surfaces lately so I got a spiky attachment for my cane. It works well, but the cane itself tends to stay where I left it, which isn’t always where I am when it’s needed.
***
Top Canadian CEOs earn annual worker’s salary by lunchtime on Jan. 2 — Canadian Press headline. The top 100 chief executive officers’ average yearly salary was $7.96 million, compared to the average Canadian workers’ $46,600. No comment.
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.
