Book excerpt: Guided only by the light of his grandmother's dreams, Gudata embarks on an extraordinary journey to quench his thirst for knowledge that, in his impressionable mind, only America could satisfy. In this unique story, we encounter the double-edged sword of challenge and inspiration. Healer's Light: Achieving the Impossible demonstrates the difference one person can make in the lives of thousands. One does not expect a boy from a tiny village in the hinterlands of Southern Ethiopia to put himself through two bachelors degrees, medical school, and become a surgeon; much less become an instrumental force in the establishment of a prestigious Trauma Center; and to be appointed as its leader at a young age. All these pale in comparison to the path he takes as he returns to his roots in rural Ethiopia. He establishes a school system where none existed for fifty years and goes on to build a health village in a shantytown that time and commerce forgot.