A few weeks back my husband and I were sitting at a sushi bar and had the most interesting conversation with the gentleman sitting next to us. It turns out that he was a pilot, as a hobby, and used his free time and resources to fly U.S. doctors to remote areas of Mexico to provide medical treatment. Our conversation got me thinking about the well-known organization Doctors Without Borders or Medicine Sans Fronteriers (MSF), as it was named by its French founders.

Doctors Without Borders all began when Raymond Borel and Philippe Bernier, journalists from a medical review, issued an appeal to establish a group of doctors to help people suffering in the midst and wake of major disasters. On December 22, 1971, 300 volunteers made up the organization: doctors, nurses, and other staff, including the 13 founding doctors and journalists.

 “It’s simple really: go where the patients are. It seems obvious, but at the time it was a revolutionary concept because borders got in the way. It’s no coincidence that we called it ‘Médecins Sans Frontières.’” MSF was created on the belief that all people have the right to medical care regardless of gender, race, religion, creed or political affiliation, and that the needs of these people outweigh respect for national boundaries.

What began with two journalists need to bring attention to suffering around the world and those who had both the compassion and skills to ease it has now grown into an international organization that we can not remember a time without. Today, Doctors without Borders  is in 28 countries and since its founding,  this incredible organization has treated over a hundred million patients!

It is an age-old story that continues to inspire, people who use their voice, passion and compassion to change the lives of others……change our world. And you never know who might be sitting next to you at a sushi bar.