ENDEAVOR Who is the Filipino surgeon who holds multiple US and international patents? I framed this question with a fond wish that today’s generation of young Filipinos will do what is needed to honor the memory of my high school classmate, Rolando ‘Randy’ Puno. In January 2019, he joined our Don Bosco Makati class in celebrating our golden jubilee. Later, as the pandemic was waning, he took off from his clinical duties and invited us to his home for a jovial gathering. Then, too, he would join the Zoom meetings that we held to honor our classmates who had passed away. This was prior to his retirement from a long career with the Norton Leatherman Spine Center in the summer of 2023. Norton Leatherman Spine is a world-renowned program delivering groundbreaking care and treatment for back, neck and spine conditions and procedures. This is how and why Dr. Randy opted to settle and establish his practice in Louisville, Kentucky, which is also the hometown of the legendary Muhammad Ali. I am now taking the liberty of echoing excerpts of a narrative from the Facebook account of Laurence Tabanao Gayao who honored Dr. Randy’s service as a past president of the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMM) alumni association: “Dr. Puno was an outstanding orthopedic spine surgeon, inventor, and innovator whose work transformed the field of spinal surgery. He pioneered the world’s first polyaxial pedicle screw, now an industry standard worldwide, and held over 90 U.S. and international patents for spinal devices and surgical instruments. “During his 32 years at the Norton Leatherman Spine Center in Louisville, Kentucky, he also served as Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville and Medical Director of its Biomechanics Laboratory. “His surgical excellence and compassion touched countless lives — from children with spinal deformities to adults with complex spinal disorders. “Beyond his brilliance, Dr. Puno was a man of humility and generosity. When he was nominated for president, he hesitated to accept the role. I assured him that the entire UERM family would be behind him. During his tenure, our alumni association raised nearly half a million dollars, including $110,000 personally donated by him — funding that continues to support students through the Study Now, Pay Later program, now named after him.” Indeed, Dr. Randy was a gifted surgeon who immersed himself in acquiring a keen and comprehensive grasp of his chosen field. Although he started as an engineering student at UST, he shifted to pre-med, and eventually earned a medical degree from UE. He completed two full orthopedic residency training programs, first at the University of the Philippines and the second at the University of Louisville. His fellowship training in spine surgery took place at the renowned Twin Cities Scoliosis Center; he trained in orthopedic trauma and total joint surgery at the Hennepin County Medical Center, both in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His professional credentials include being certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. He also served as a clinical professor at the University of Louisville\'s Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and as the medical director at its Biomechanics Laboratory. Indeed, as a renowned specialist, patients from all around the world have come to Dr. Randy for surgery and treatment of their challenging spinal problems. In addition to his multiple awards, the surgical suite of the Norton Children\'s Hospital is dedicated in his name, recognizing his lifetime of service to the children of Kentucky state. As shared by his family: “He was passionate about helping people, and patients flew in from all over the world seeking help. He touched so many lives during his (more than) three decades of practice and mentorship. You couldn’t go anywhere in Louisville without someone stopping him to thank him for fixing their back…” The patents he acquired were for unique micro implant devices that he designed using the skills he learned in our weekly drafting classes in Don Bosco under the tutelage of our teacher with a memorable name, Mr. Eusebio Queyquep, Jr. In an obituary shared by his family, we are told: “Ever since he was young, he showed natural ingenuity when tinkering (together) with his siblings in their father’s machine shop to build their own toys and tools. He was driven by an insatiable curiosity for how things work and a belief that good design and engineering can improve people’s lives.” With us, his Bosconian classmates, he maintained his self-effacing ways, wearing a broad grin and never calling attention to himself. When we learned about the malady that afflicted this gentle healer, we became more aware, too, of our frailties and increasing vulnerability with the passing of time. Dr. Randy’s end-game battle gave us a peek into ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We learned that “it is a progressive neurological disease that causes motor neurons to degenerate, leading to muscle weakness, twitching, and eventually atrophy and paralysis.” It is often called Lou Gehrig\'s disease, named after the renowned Major League baseball player of the New York Yankees. Here’s a brief clinical description of ALS from the Mayo Clinic: “(It) is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. ALS causes loss of muscle control. The disease gets worse over time…ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg, trouble swallowing or slurred speech. Eventually ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. There is no cure for this fatal disease.” Weeks before he passed on last Oct. 10 at the age of 71, he would join our Zoom meetings, maintaining a cheerful disposition despite his inability to speak up. That, of course, buoyed up our hopes as we intensified our prayers for his healing and well-being. “Even as his illness progressed,” his family tells us, he never lost his warm smile and playful sense of humor.” It was Randy’s brother Gerry who broke the sad news to our California-based classmate Levine Frial. Levine recalls “I was reading his patients’ reviews… they loved how Randy healed and helped them years after their surgeries. One of them said, he had a ‘heart of gold.’ I can imagine he was great at helping them.” Farewell, Dr. Randy, you have been God’s good and faithful servant. By dint of your shining example, we are enlightened by this famous passage from the Good Book: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8) Comments may be sent to sonnycoloma@gmail.com