William F. House, M.D. (2)


My friend Bill House passed away on Friday, December 7, 2012, at his home. He was 89 years old.

 I have already written a page in this blog, where I stated that he was my guru, my otological model, my friend.
Bill's autobiography -- one must read it
It is not difficult to write about a great physician, about a man who revolutionized ear surgery and is recognized all through the world as the “father of surgical neurotology.” It is much more difficult to write about the loss of a very dear friend.

 We have been together many times, in many different places. I visited him in Los Angeles on several occasions, watching his operations, learning new techniques and new tricks.  My wife and I would often stay at his house in Whitier, as well as in the one in Newport Beach, after he left Los Angeles. He came to Brazil several times, to São Paulo, to Rio, to Salvador, to Belo Horizonte, to Brasília, almost always with his wife June. In São Paulo they would stay in our house. I remember a physician from Argentina asking me, “I have invited him to many meetings, he never comes. How does it happen that when you invite him he comes?” In 2007 he came to São Paulo to help us celebrate the 30th anniversary of our first cochlear implant. He suggested topics for our program and participated actively in all of the discussions. I believe this was his last international travel.

 Together with Bill and June, my wife and I explored the French Riviera, Paris, The Hague, Zürich, the British Virgin Islands and so many other places that I forget. But I will never forget their friendliness, the love we shared and that, I believe, added  something very important to our lives.

 Having Bill House as a dear friend was an unforgettable experience. Like the Jewish say, he was a Mensch – a very, very special man. One of his last requests was that we continue his quest to insure that all may hear.

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