Our Legacy Leaver of the month is Dr. Rick Hodes.  Hodes, or Dr. Rick as he is affectionately called by patients, is a 55 year old Orthodox Jew who lives and works at Mother Teresa’s Mission in Ethiopia.  In this country, where there is one doctor for every 40,000 people and a per capita income of $220, Dr. Rick devotes himself to healing the poor.  Originally from Long Island and trained in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins University (arguably the premiere medical school in the country), Hodes has dedicated his life to serving the poor in Ethiopia by seeing patients, hunting down medications, and arranging for free surgeries. He specializes in cancer, heart disease, and spinal conditions and has adopted 5 Ethiopian children, not to mention the 20 or more that live in his house at any given time.

Dr. Rick is our Legacy Leaver because of his compassion for the sick and his willingness to sacrifice his time, skills, and life for others.  A doctor with his training could have a profitable and comfortable life in the United States but Hodes is a shining example of what it truly means to be a doctor; to care for those most in need, and to give without really receiving in return.

By the way, he’s not even married. He’s too passionate about his work serving others!  Dr. Rick’s philosophy is simple: “Don’t Say No”.  That means never saying no to those who are in need, whether be physically, emotionally, or even spiritually.

To read more about Dr. Hodes’ amazing work, check out these articles.

http://www.urielheilman.com/1102rickhodes.html