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Inevitably, perhaps ... (6/23/2006 update)

• The correct name of the medical tourism company that is briefly profiled on Page 143 of Beauty from Afar is Medical Tours International (MTI) and the correct, current Internet address is www.medicaltoursinternational.com. This error was corrected months ago in the editing process but somehow the repaired paragraph did not make it into the book. It will be fixed in subsequent printings and editions. I apologize to Stephanie Sulger, RN, the CEO of MTI, who is among the true pioneers in the nascent medical tourism industry. Stephanie is at the forefront of efforts to set the highest standards of safety for patients who choose to travel abroad for health care. Though in Beauty from Afar I am inordinately cautious about recommending specific medical facilities and / or services, I have known Stephanie and been acquainted with and impressed by her work for more than a year now. When people contact me for suggestions on where to go for surgery abroad -- depending on their needs -- I do not hesitate to suggest they call or write to MTI.
• The photos on the back jacket of the book are not credited, as they properly should be. The photo of the pool of the E&O Hotel: is courtesy of Marloes Giezenaar Mba and Beautiful-Holidays.com, Malaysia. I originally met Marloes at a MedRetreat news conference in Washington, D.C. at the Malaysian Embassy and I am grateful for her help. The other photograph on the back of the book is of the main lobby of Bumrungrad International in Thailand and was provided by the hospital.
• Also regarding photos ... I thank Lily of Plastic Surgery Journeys (and many of the wonderful members of that site) for coming to my aid and support when I was soliciting photos to be used in the book. There was a time when my publisher considered using color photographs throughout Beauty from Afar. This would have made the book more expensive, of course, and in the end we decided (perhaps ironically) that the extra prettiness was not worth the cost. But Lily and the PSJers were there for me, then and always. PSJourneys is far and away the best patient support group site for cosmetic surgery abroad and if I had not dedicated my book to my son, I think I might have dedicated it to the members of PSJ. It might sound like cheap flattery but it's true. ;-)
• A very minor correction: My name is misspelled in one place on the copyright page. This is more a source of amusement than anything else, but I mention it just for the sake of those who like to possess such imperfections. It is a wee hazard of first editions and will be corrected at next printing.