I'm so proud of my Daddy!!!

Most of you know my dad, but let me expound just a bit, especially since I have special reason to brag on him this week. My dad is everything a daughter hopes for, sweet and quirky, a little nerdy in the most endearing way, way too devoted to all five of us (mom and sisters), born to be a grandpa (willing to do the goofiest things to make my nephew laugh, esp. in public), intelligent as the day is long, the ultimate boy scout (eagle scout actually, always prepared, a bit of a type-A, etc.), loves romantic comedies, even the sappy ones and almost anything with a happy ending, and willing to go to extreme measures and distances to see any of us, even for extremely short periods of time (he figures since he'll be in China for work, he might as well swing thru South Korea on his way home?!?).

My dad works as a biomedical engineer: he invents new things and fixes and improves old things for doctors and hospitals. His specialty is endotracheal tubes, or the things they shove down your throat when they need to gas you during an operation. And he's great in his field, among the best even. I guess in those circles, people know his name across the country, and even around the world.

He holds a couple of patents for previous work, and is most recently working on a new device called a laryngial (sp?) mask airway. As surgeries have become less and less invasive with the development of lasers and the like, the most traumatizing part of the surgery is often intubating the patient. This new device is made to lessen this; instead of going all the way down your trachea, it sits in the larynx, two inflatable cushions block the esophagus and the top of the larynx, and the anesthesia is giving through openings along the side of the device! Much less invasive for the patient, and pretty amazing stuff!!

Anyways, I get to brag on him today because tomorrow he will be giving a presentation at a national airway conference in Houston. When he was asked to do this, they informed him that he would be following the guy in the anesthesia world today, but that he, Tom McGrail, is the only person ever asked to speak that hasn't been an MD. That he is not only top in his field as an engineer, but in this whole area of medicine.

When I met up with them in Madison this past weekend, Dad ran thru his talk with us, and he was great! I love to hear about his work; yes, in working in medicine in the past, I do have an informed interest in this area in general, but especially knowing that my dad had something to do with these crazy cool devices gives my goosebumps. Way to go, Dad; I'm so proud of you because of what you do, but I love you even more for who you are!!