FROM A DONKEY TO A MERCEDES
Michael Hourani, M.D.
SUMMARY
From A Donkey To A Mercedes is the true life, rags to riches story of Michael Hourani, M.D. Raised in abject poverty in Lebanon, through a series of miracle-like incidences, he rose from the humility of riding a donkey to school to becoming one of the premier nephrologists in the world.
The story begins in Deir Mimas, a tiny village in southern Lebanon, where Michael and his brothers and sister were raised “poor, but not hungry,” thanks to a mother who displayed uncommon hard work, strong character, and a deep faith.
Academically gifted, Michael advanced in the Lebanese public school system and was miraculously accepted into a prestigious medical school in France. While there, he studied nephrology—the study of the kidneys. He also met a young female exchange student from America, so that when his schooling was complete, he made his first visit to the United States to pursue a position in that field.
Fast forward to the story of a kind and caring doctor who opened kidney dialysis clinics throughout the state of Michigan. Loved and respected by peers and patients, Dr. Hourani and his wife Jane are champions of philanthropy throughout the world, most particularly in Michigan and Deir Mimas.
It’s a most entertaining “The Immigrant Comes to America and Succeeds” tale with such highlights as:
• As a poor child, almost killing himself by using dynamite to raise fish out of the Litani River in order to sell them in the village.
• A naïve little boy encounters prostitutes, abusers and stern priests.
• While studying in France, “borrowing” (stealing) a tape recorder to play the lectures over and over, in order to learn medicine and the French language.
• A night in a French jail.
• The privilege to study under Dr. Sidney Shaldon, the Father of Modern Nephrology.
• A brush with death while driving the Pyrenees Mountains in an ice storm.
• The laugh out loud stories that come from living in America but not yet knowing English. (Confusing an AT&T operator with his girlfriend’s mother.)
• The love story of Michael and his wife, Jane.
• A carefully balanced presentation of the man’s many accomplishments, along with an honest dose of mistakes and failures. A tribute to hard work and self-determination.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Tabbouleh and My Guardian Angel
Chapter One: Potatoes
Chapter Two: The French Dictionary
Chapter Three: The Donkey
Chapter Four: Dynamite
Chapter Five: Grandfather’s Lesson and Mother’s Love
Chapter Six: Aunts and Uncles, Fish and Chicken
Chapter Seven: The Oldest Medical School in the World
Chapter Eight: The Tape Recorder
Chapter Nine: Twenty Beers and A Girlfriend
Chapter Ten: Ice
Chapter Eleven: Wrong Way on a One Way
Chapter Twelve: Three Johnnie Walkers
Chapter Thirteen: The A T & T Operator
Chapter Fourteen: Mr. Baloney
Chapter Fifteen: Competitors
Chapter Sixteen: Kidnapped
Chapter Seventeen: Jane
Chapter Eighteen: Cab Fare for Patients
Chapter Nineteen: Family and Philanthropy
Chapter Twenty: An Honorary MBA and My Own Wine
Chapter Twenty-One: A Sixty Nine and A Near Decapitation
Chapter Twenty-Two: What If?
Conclusion: Chocolate Martinis
About the Author