The light will always outshine the dark': trauma surgeon Shehan Hettiaratchy on his harrowing, heartening calling

"There was a collective fear that we're under attack — there are people on the streets of London trying to kill our fellow Londoners. On the day itself, Hettiaratchy was in charge and had to think practically and methodically: This is patient A, patient B, patient C; what are the injuries, what needs to happen, what needs to go on?"

"Detaching yourself is probably why you can stay locked in, he thinks — and ultimately how you get the job done. That day, staff at St Mary's treated 15 people who had been injured in the attack, including the perpetrator, Khalid Masood, who later died, having been shot by a police officer."

On March 22, 2017, trauma surgeon Shehan Hettiaratchy responded to the Westminster Bridge terror attack in London. Despite his experience treating life-threatening injuries, the psychological weight of a coordinated attack felt fundamentally different from routine trauma cases. Hettiaratchy led his team at St Mary's hospital in treating 15 victims, including the attacker. He employed methodical detachment during surgery, focusing on individual patients and their specific injuries to maintain professional function. After emergency procedures concluded, including complex surgery on a birthday celebrant struck by a vehicle, Hettiaratchy experienced an emotional release. His approach demonstrates how medical professionals compartmentalize during crises to deliver care, then confront accumulated trauma afterward.

Read at www.theguardian.com