I’ve long been a fan of Miles O’Brien. He’s my kind of journalist, always curious and digging for understanding. Though he has covered a wide range of stories in his career, his focus has always been science and technology.

Then this happened.

I was on a reporting trip in the Far East, first to Japan for a story about the Fukushima reactor and then to the Philippines for one about genetically modified rice. As I was packing up my TV gear, a heavy Pelican case of equipment fell on my left forearm. What began as a fairly bad bruise evolved, over a couple of days, into something life-threatening: acute compartment syndrome, which blocks blood flow. When I got to a doctor in Manila, he recognized the problem and sent me in for emergency surgery. He tried to save the arm, but it was too late. It was a life-or-limb decision.

The linked story is really about life after the loss of his arm. Great read.