Dr. Richard Heinzl and Medecins Sans Frontiers receive the 2006 Laureate of Excellence from the Health Sciences Centre Foundation

The evening of Tuesday, September 19 was the occasion of the 2006 Laureate of Excellence Award presentation by the Health Sciences Centre Foundation. Doctors without borders (Medecins Sans Frontiers(MSF)), was the recipient this year for their incredible work around the world to provide medical assistance to communities in danger.

Dr. Richard Heinzl (photo) was involved with founding MSF Canada in 1991. He talked eloquently of his efforts and spoke specifically of his time helping in a small community in Cambodia not far from Siem Reap. Curiously, this community is very near where my wife, Naomi, spent two weeks helping as a nurse several years ago. Naomi went with a different organization, but her experience was similar. When she returned, Naomi described vividly how her medical team had to deal with people who had been badly injured as a result of land mines left there from many years earlier - still an all too common occurrence there.