FLINT, MI -- Dr. Abdelmajid Jondy. The name should ring a bell.
Jondy, 84, has worked for Hurley Medical Center as a general surgeon for 50 years, and in March 2022, decided to retire. A serious retirement, this time.
“He did retire once before and we were laughing because it only lasted 10 days,” said his daughter, Muna Jondy. “But after he and my mom got COVID, that’s when we said we can’t keep doing this.”
While retiring was almost an impossible thought for those who know him, it took a serious bout with COVID for Jondy to finally consider it.
Hospitalized along with his wife, Gada, in September 2021 through October, Jondy’s family pushed him to call it a career.
“To be honest, I’m somebody that had been telling him it’s time for him to retire,” Muna said. “Because of his age and the nature of his job being a trauma surgeon, it’s just very demanding. You’re like 84 years old, what are you doing? It’s probably time to hang up your gown. But my family also had mixed reviews about him retiring.”
Both Jondy and his wife, who is 72 years old, are doing well.
Raised in the rural south of Syria, Jondy intended to continue working on the family farm, but he dreamed of being a doctor. Through intense perseverance, and driven by his values, he pursued an education and was awarded a scholarship to study medicine. His story with Flint begins when he immigrated to the city on Jan. 1, 1972.
Together with his wife, Jondy has nine children: Muhanad, Jumana, Jenan, Muna, Muaz, Bayan, Aman, Mohammad and Abrar. Seven of them were born at Hurley.
Upon his arrival to the U.S., Jondy first considered applying for orthopedic residency at the University of Illinois but would have been required to wait six months.
Waiting was not an option, so he applied for general surgery and interviewed with several hospitals in Ohio and Michigan. Finally, he set his sights on Hurley, where he noticed trauma surgery was developing. With trauma surgery, there was a wide range of options for him to pursue––from bones and fractures to hips and hands.
Hurley welcomed him with open arms and offered him a contract, beginning what would become a 50-year journey with the city’s healthcare system.
The Jondy name around Genesee County is recognizable to just about anyone in the area.
“It was one of those things where you’ll meet people randomly and they’ll say, oh, you know Dr. Jondy?” said his granddaughter, Sumaya Tabbah, a graduate student at American University. “So I think people also feel a lot of love towards him and I just want it immortalized in some capacity. Just to capture all of those emotions.”
Muna, a 46-year-old immigration attorney in Flint, was recently at a dinner with Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson and right on cue, her father was brought up.
“He said, ‘I want you to know that I trained with your dad 20 years ago as a medic,” Muna said. “He said he remembers it so distinctly because he knew he had to know his stuff when he was around Dr. Jondy. My father was never a slacker.”
Muna recalls an apartment within Hurley when they were young, where Muna and her siblings would pile up and stay the weekend while Jondy worked endless hours.
Jondy was always on call. It did not matter if it was 4 p.m. or 4 a.m.
And he always proudly took the call.
“We always felt good about it,” Muna said. “It was never like we felt dad was too busy for us. We always knew he was doing good things.”
Dr. Steve Lackie, a physician assistant in neurosurgical trauma, worked with Jondy from 1991-2015.
Jondy was one of the leading proponents of endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery. While neurosurgery is his forte, laparoscopic surgery never was for Lackie.
One day, around 2003 or 2004, Lackie was ready to leave the hospital, when Jondy quickly stopped him, saying with a smile, “Steve, my friend, I need your help.”
The smile caught Lackie off guard. Jondy needed to perform surgery on a gallbladder patient.
Jondy quickly changed his tone, seriously saying, “We need to do it with a laparoscope.”
“He said even if I get sick to my stomach, it’s going to be OK,” Lackie laughed.
In the middle of the surgery, Jondy looked up at Lackie, and said “You’re turning green, are you kidding? Just take a deep breath. You’re doing fine, you won’t get spanked.”
Lackie knew the patient was in good hands. The procedure lasted 20 minutes.
“Dr. Jondy was just so calm,” he said. “When he says he needs my help, how can I turn that down?”
In 2012, Jondy returned to Syria in the height of a war waged by President Bashar al-Assad’s regime against the Syrian people following the outbreak of peaceful protests in 2011. The war left many Syrians without food, water, shelter, or access to medical care.
That drove Jondy to do what he’s always been known to do; help people. Jondy risked reprisal from the Syrian government for aiding the Syrian people, but it didn’t deter him.
With hospitals, homes, and shelters destroyed, he performed a total of 23 surgeries on wounded civilians. The surgeries were done in the basements of houses and other buildings so that the government wouldn’t find out.
Dr. Michael Jaggi, chairman of the ER and chief medical officer at Hurley, worked closely with Jondy since 1996.
He credits Jondy for being one of the earliest surgeons to put Hurley on the map for trauma care. He helped build the foundation and saw it mature over 50 years.
“I don’t know if I ever saw him fatigued or tired,” Jaggi said, 59. “It’s still remarkable looking back at it. I think that’s what really set him apart and people identified with him that he always was there.”
Jondy’s dedication to improving the lives of those around him didn’t stop at the hospital. He embodied that same mission within his family and the community at large.
Jondy always found time for his family. He built a basketball and tennis court at his home in Clio, with roughly 30 acres of land. Muna remembers those games played like it was yesterday, including the time he taught her how to ride a bike.
As the founder of the Flint Islamic Center, a massive 82,000 square-foot mosque sitting on 45 acres, Jondy’s work expanded beyond the surgery room, and his dedication to his Islamic faith spread across the community.
His legacy speaks for itself.
“He worked the way he lived,” she said. “He’s a very straightforward guy and it’s funny because I got that personality from him. He’s very generous and very giving. He’s been a real asset to the Muslim community and obviously to the greater Genesee County community.”
In 2020, Jondy and his wife celebrated their 50th anniversary with a small outdoor gathering. Considering the bout with COVID last year, he preferred not to have a large gathering for a retirement celebration.
Other organizations have also committed to honoring his career. The Islamic Medical Association of Mid Michigan- IMA Flint, which consists of over 250 physicians and medical care providers, are planning to honor Jondy during their upcoming November meeting.
“Flint has lost such an incredible, incredible physician,” Lackie said. “I have had the honor to work with him and you get to a point where you feel love for the man. I am happy for him but it’s also mixed emotions.”
Tressa Ramirez, 53, worked directly with Jondy for 25 years as a registered nurse and scrub tech. It was not a specific surgery Jondy performed that impressed her, or the fact he always showed up on time. Those are traits that are expected.
But what isn’t always expected from people, especially now, is showing kindness. Jondy always made sure to do so.
“He always told me ‘good morning,” she said. “He always took the time to say that. And I always knew how busy he was. Sometimes I wouldn’t even be in his room, and every time I saw him, he said, ‘good morning’ and addressed me by name. That made me feel good. He’s one of those surgeons you just always admire.”
While Jondy’s work in the hospital is over, the lasting impact he left on those that knew him is evident in the hospitals he’s served, his family, and the Flint community.
Read more at The Flint Journal:
Gov. Whitmer announces $1.3M infrastructure investment for Lapeer County Road Commission
Meet Dwight Eichelberg: Sweet corn enthusiast who once taught actor Terry Crews
Michigan’s Best Local Eats: Beirut Restaurant is a pillar in the Flint community
Black Business Expo and Financial Empowerment Summit teaches businesses growth opportunities
"lasting" - Google News
July 31, 2022 at 07:55PM
https://ift.tt/YspuFHw
Flint general surgeon, Dr. Jondy, makes lasting impact on community - MLive.com
"lasting" - Google News
https://ift.tt/thAkdHV
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Flint general surgeon, Dr. Jondy, makes lasting impact on community - MLive.com"
Post a Comment