Saad Shaikh, MD

The giant sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) stands as a testament to nature's grandeur. I recently encountered this magnificent species in two distinct settings: Sequoia National Park in California, during the summer of 2024, and at the Mata-Jardim José do Canto in the Azores, a few months later. The Azorean sequoia, one of the few on the islands, originated from seeds brought from California. While both trees share the characteristic towering trunk, reddish-brown bark, and overall form of a giant sequoia, subtle differences are apparent. The Azorean tree, though healthy and thriving in the humid, temperate climate, is not as tall as its California counterpart, and its bark possesses a distinct quality. These variations highlight the profound influence of environment on even the most genetically predisposed organisms. It's a reminder that while the seed holds the potential, its unfolding is intricately woven into the tapestry of its surroun...

  Twenty years ago today, this  article  was published about a surgery I performed on a two-year-old girl named Alaa, a child blinded by war. Shrapnel from an American tank shell—fired on a children’s birthday party mistaken for an insurgent gathering—killed most of her cousins and family members. It left Alaa with a torn abdomen and filled her eyes with metal fragments that would rust and poison her ocular tissue. At the time, a local law student, Ashley Severance, contacted me at my private practice, asking if I could help. The surgeon originally scheduled to remove Alaa’s eyes had backed out—fearful, in that post-9/11 era, that saving this child might be seen as aiding the enemy rather than helping a fellow human being. I knew I had to try. If it were my child, I would want someone to do everything possible. father told me, “It’s not fair that a young child will never get to see her mother again.” He was told to let her die—her...