I really like Dr. Pier Boutin, and I am delighted that she lives just a few doors down from us. She is clearly a very good doctor, and, as we all know, it’s great to have a doctor on the street because sooner or later, you may find that you need a very good doctor, especially one who knows what to do if you slip and fall on the ice. I mean, it is not everyone who has the skills to heal a broken behind or broken fingers, as in my case. She has written a book called “The Little Mo Effect.” This particular book was written in response to the call for orthopedic surgeons after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. She was one such hero.
In fact, she was the leader of the first surgical team to arrive in Port-au-Prince after the earthquake, where she saw trauma and suffering which could only be characterized as “devastating.” Pier Boutin is not only a very good doctor, in addition to her medical excellence, she is also a very good person. Having known and admired Pier for quite a while and knowing that she has been practicing for more than 30 years, I can tell you that her confidence and decency are genuine.
The thing about doctors that many of us most admire is that they really care about their patients. In this book, Pier has transferred that kind of care to her readers. Some who are reading this may get the false idea that I have chosen to write about Pier because she is both pretty and articulate. Well, to be perfectly honest, maybe just a little. Hey, I’m human. There are many reasons why we choose to admire other people. For example, it is unlikely that anyone who saw me would think me a good writer because of my good looks.
This is a book about Dr. Boutin’s help, during a chance encounter, with a beautiful three-year-old boy, “Little Mo.” I love this kind of book, and to tell the truth, it made me cry. Pier was taken with the child’s disposition, which included his ability to smile and laugh. Naturally, because Pier Boutin is the kind of doctor we all want to know, she was instrumental in bringing the beautiful little boy to the United States. We are lucky to have her living here in Great Barrington with us. Now we get to see her professionally and as a friend.
What happened to Pier Boutin is told in her remarkable book. To give you just a taste, I offer this sentence: “Little Mo helped me rebuild my self-worth and move forward with divorce.” We learn from Dr. Boutin of her own success and stress. In the end, she tells us, “I created an independent thriving medical practice and began a new relationship who leaves space for me to shine.”
If you read this book, you will learn from a fascinating cast of characters. We learn of “Little Mo,” who, as a result of what happened, turns a corner and develops a promising life. After Dr. Boutin worked to repair his deformed feet, he could play sports and so much more. What she has done for this little Moroccan boy she can and has done for her neighbors here.
I never fail to find it amazing that here in these Berkshire hills of ours we can find extraordinary people with fascinating stories to tell. There’s probably one such person right around the corner from you. There are so many books waiting to be written that we learn about every time we speak with a neighbor just down the street about his or her own life. I suspect that if you read Pier’s book about “Little Mo,” you’ll come away as impressed as I was.
