I just read an article about a West Virginia community, wary of "outsiders," who fell in love with their local cardiologist. Dr. Berzingi is an Iraqi Muslim immigrant who has become a U.S. citizen since completing his graduate education in this country. People got to know someone, instead of depending on the caricature of the "evil" Muslim we're being fed by President Trump’s regime. 

This reminded me of the immunologist, Dr. Faud Mudawwer in western Massachusetts, who was the first person to really help me when I was racked with sudden and excruciating symptoms eight years ago. As a medical social worker, I actively sought the source of this misery. After five months with five other medical doctors with no results, I found both answers and compassion in this lovely man. He posited a diagnosis and referred me immediately to a colleague who could confirm and treat it. But more than that, Dr. Mudawwer (pronounced like Mood-hour) treated me like an adult while comforting my frightened "inner child." I later learned that this Lebanese immigrant serves not only as a medical specialist but as a chaplain of his Muslim faith. 

How enriched our lives are because of our immigrant colleagues and neighbors. 

Sue Fraser Frankewicz

Norwich