After my latest round of kidney stones back at the beginning of this year, my regular doctor reffered me to a urologist, who in turn refered me to a kidney specialist to help find out just why I keep making stones, and how to possibly prevent more. I went to my first appointment with him about a month ago, and was in the process of doing a bunch of medical tests, and had a follow up meeting scheduled with him for Monday.
This morning while getting yet more tests done, I heard the nurses at the test facility talking, and then Brandy found this article to confirm…
Brevard doctor dies in Keys’ diving accident
A Palm Bay Community Hospital kidney specialist died during a weekend Key Largo diving accident, officials confirmed today. Dr. Tarik Khair-El-Din, 44, was reported missing during a diving expedition Saturday to the USS Spiegel Grove artificial reef, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
That was my doctor. I had only met with him once. But he had immediately impressed me, because he took the time to talk and explain and answer questions, and just generally had a good bedside manner. I’d heard other people speak well of him too. Not much else to say. :-(
Meanwhile, the test I was having this morning was not my kidneys at all, although I have more of those tests yet to do. It was an MRI on my liver, because while doing the variety of tests for my kidney stones over the last few months, they found some non-normal results related to my liver in both blood work and an ultrasound. So this is to investigate further. I’ll get the results later this week probably. I am crossing my fingers hoping it is not serious.
As for the kidney investigation, no idea what will happen now. Guess I may be refered to someone else. Maybe. Not sure if I should still do the test scheduled for this weekend. Probably I guess. But it is a shame it will not be with Dr. Khair. :-(
OK, I took a long lunch to run some errands. I need to get back to work now…
let’s hope that the next doc you see doesn’t die or you might have some black magik or something.
hope your test results come back ok…
Why didn’t the Key Largo Volunteer Fire Rescue, Inc. dive team Chief Rob Bleser have a fire department team ready? He said he didn’t have a team trained up! He said “I just took two guys…” Beyond Bad planning, no planning was in place for the Doctor…
Turns out Bleser was charged with the ill-sinking of the artificial reef that the Doctor went diving on… The Spiegel Grove swamped because Bleser made holes that weren’t supposed to be opened… People were in danger… The ship turned upside down, and cost big $. He traded $ for making the ship safe & used it to turn it around… He didn’t care to tell the Doctor the ship had dangerous holes. The $ over & Bleser lives comfortable… the boat’s on its side & those holes aren’t filled. Bleser joined board of the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce which approved the ill-sinking of the artificial reef & the OK-ing of the open holes…
Now he’s on the board of directors for Key Largo Fire Rescue, Inc. & then became Chief of the Key Largo Fire Rescue, Inc. technical dive team… the $’s gone & no team… A great person is dead… Didn’t Chiefs Garcia & Bleser tell anyone the team doesn’t exist? Why? They would have to show where the $ & everything for Key Largo and Keys people & tourists went… Everybody was told they were the team and THEY would do the job… Chiefs Garcia & Bleser said THEY were ready… THEY weren’t… & THEY knew it!
Instead Garcia & Bleser turned the pressure on the Keys county’s helicopter people & said that Monroe County helicopters were all down and that nobody would say why… Meanwhile, Chief Garcia says he sent his Dive Chief Bleser to the rescue… but he wouldn’t go in. He “just took two guys…” …civilians, non-emergency personnel, & sent them in… Though not members of the department’s officially trained response, why or how could Chief Garcia and Chief Bleser put them into deep water and possibly the wreck without back up?
‘Chiefs’ Garcia and Bleser aren’t trained technical divers, but people thought they were and expected better than taking more than 2 hours after the doctor’s calls for help to get there. It was no problem for them to send non-Key Largo Rescue, Inc. divers in with NO back up. Chiefs Garcia and Bleser put 2 civilians in extreme danger. Incompetence! Dr. Tarik Khair-El-Din paid the ultimate price… The right thing will be done now because the trash will just blow around again and hit others when they are in need…
yes, many questions r being all over. I’m hearing rumors being spread fr. top to divert big focus from Bleser 4 being respons. 4 Key Largo fire’s team that WASN’T. Besides Chf Garcia being over everyone, now people r asking isn’t chf. Beal responsible 4 something?
No! Everyones saying without reserv. absolutely not in charge of team! Don’t believe. Garcia put Bleser over it… Everyones knows Chf Beal was trying to have team ready. u know, 4 Doctor Tarik Khair-El-Din and others, but pushed out by Chf Garcia to make rm 4 Bleser’s more ambitious plans… trbl is his ambitions r minus results…
They’re switching fr Coast Guard Sheriff’s Ofcrs to Beal but if Key Largo FR has no team ready & no FR rescue dive team 4 Coast Guard to call, then they’re not going to be able to call.
Beyond irresponsible, its sad & contemptuous what they r doing to everyone but themselves. Chfs Garcia & Bleser have hands in so many pols. pots, that they forget they only have 2 hands ea. 2 busy to be concerned about having a FR team trained up to help th poor man. They call foes ‘thorns’ – County FR Chf Martin = thorn. KLs Beal scapegoated, but was considered by them to be a thorn about training.
They forgot about training a team. How long has the Grove been a project, & the great BleserGarci duo doesn’t have a team!
I hear them whispring arnd to those who dont know that ‘its Beal’s team’, don’t believe it. Ask directly, don’t go to them, thy’ll tell you wrong thing. don’t just go to press comments by 2 chfs are misleading about & other agencies that we have good relations with. hope know I hate to see 2 dumping on Coast Guard & Sheriff… wish talk because tell them they’re getting heat not deserved… why would anyone call Key Largo fire when they they don’t have a department team to send?
Nobody is going to do official call out to a pretend chief to call another one who pretends to everyone he has an offic. team but then grabs 2 guys off st. that would been insane. my report at the coast Guard did the right thing… They were there so fast. The fam. & frnds of DR should feel something good fr. that…
‘Chiefs’ Bleser and Garcia demon 2 much maliciousness to call it incompetence… Someone said Chf Beal was asked why someone in the fire station or County doesn’t do something about it/them? Now that they can’t into Tavernier, maybe super chf. do something abot the rascals Garcia, Bleser…
I know it has been ages (almost a year) since the two of you responsed to my posting on Dr. Khair. I also got an email or two at the time. Sorry for the late response, it has been a busy year. In any case, I just wanted to remark on the unexpected level of response I got to my little post. It is obvious Dr. Khair was very highly regarded by quite a few people.
Did anything ever come of the investigation?
It has been a while since Dr.Khair has passed. I knew him, he also was my ex of 2 years, but we always stayed really great friends even after I moved out of state.
He called me all the time to ask me why I left FL and use to tell me he wanted me to move back. There were two occasions when I came down to visit my family, one Christmas and he wanted me to call him so we could have dinner. And I regret I never did and on a second occasion he wanted me to call him when I came down to visit my folks in the summer, because he told me he was excited that he has gotten his scuba diving license and he wanted to take me to the FL Keys with him. And of course I came down and still did not have a chance to call him (the other reason because I was dating someone else). But after I heard of his death from a friend back in FL, I totally regret not calling him or seeing him when I came to visit. I also regret even not having a chance to say goodbye. Dr. Khair has been sadly missed by alot of us. I always still till this day think about him. I just happen to Google his name today and saw an article regarding his accident. He was a fantastic doctor and truly cared about his patients. His patients were his #1 priority. I just wanted to comment about him, because he was such a fantastic doctor and a great friend as well.
Thank you for your comments. I know it has been awhile, but I am sorry for your loss. My own interaction with Dr. Khair was very brief (but positive) but it is obvious that he had a great impact on quite a few people who remember him very fondly.
Thank you as well, for someone who only had a brief interaction with him and posted something kind about him. He was a fantastic doctor and is sadly missed.