Dave and Claudia Meldrum have written a fantastic adventure novel of two lives crammed with numerous accomplishments and incredible shared experiences. It takes us around the world and to the depth of modern medicine where sperm and eggs form a new human life in vitro (IVF). Dave learned IVF from one of the places it began – with Professor Alan Trounson and colleagues ‘down under’, in Australia. Meticulously learning every detail over a three-month sabbatical, Dave then started one of the first U.S. programs at UCLA. While learning and teaching IVF, Dave and Claudia did not miss any occasion to also explore our planet, among numerous others, their most memorable destinations being Moscow, Costa Rica, Machu Picchu, Kenya, Egypt, Galapagos Islands, Alaska, China, Croatia, southern Chile and Argentina, Norway, New Zealand, and Viet Nam/Cambodia – while still finding time to snorkel with whales in Morea, Tahiti!
Dave and Claudia had their own personal experience with reproduction. In those days, obstetrical ultrasound looked more like a snowstorm than the precise imaging we now are all accustomed to. The number of dwellers in Claudia’s womb kept increasing throughout her pregnancy, until number four, Bret, was discovered at the time of delivery. Claudia’s complications were numerous, including overdose of a blood thinning drug, transfusion, and Hepatitis C. She survived all those experiences thanks to her sunny outlook, the healthy life she and Dave lived, and ultimately, thanks to a breakthrough of modern medicine. Dave has a passion for education, having helped achieve the first IVF Berth in China. Soon after mastering IVF, he created what has been the most celebrated advanced course for IVF specialists for 34 years.
Through all the exotic experiences of their lives, Dave always emphasized the role of thoroughness and safety when it comes to planning, particularly, for flying. I still remember when he told me about his diving experience and the sense of freedom that tridimensional environment provides, when I replied that flying-which I had been practicing for a few years – also offers the same. That evidently did not fall on deaf ears. Dave became a remarkable pilot, achieving Airline Transport pilot and jet ratings. When over Ecuador Claudia noticed ‘The right propeller is not turning’, Dave was already in control. Prepared for the Improbable, he landed safely after flying for more than an hour on a single engine.
The things I liked the best about this book are the back-and-forth narrative by the two authors, and the myriad of illustrations made possible by Dave’s passion for photography a picture is truly worth a thousand words!
Dominique de Ziegler, MD, Paris, France
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