Miracles, like London buses, just seem to come along. The truth is,
there are no miracles, just lots of hard work behind the scenes, minds
open to opportunity, serendipity and possibly a little luck. In my time
as a paediatric respiratory physician, I have born witness to remarkable
advances in treatment that have changed patients' fortunes overnight.
Examples of these include artificial surfactant replacement for
premature newborns, conjugate haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination,
propranolol for infants with subglottic haemangiomas, mandibular
distraction for babies with micrognathia, cystic fibrosis transmembrane
conductance regulator modulators therapy for patients with cystic
fibrosis and antisense oligonucleotide therapy for infants with spinal
muscular atrophy. There are lessons to be learned from reflection upon
these life transforming treatments, and perhaps it is a good time just
to pause and wonder.