Who exactly is Tomas Sebek? First and foremost, a surgeon - Tomas has 20 years of experience serving multiple missions with Doctors Without Borders in countries like Haiti, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Yemen. Tomas is also a co-founder of the virtual hospital and pioneering telemedicine project ulekare.cz, which aims to improve the future of healthcare. But this only scratches the surface of how much Tomas has accomplished.
In an emotional and harrowing presentation, Tomas took us through some of the, frankly, miraculous interventions he’d performed on locals, including many children. We’ll spare you the graphic details and stick to the practical advice he took back with him, and what we can learn from it. 
"Flying a plane is a lot like performing surgery - once you’re in, there’s no stopping until it’s done. Panic, nerves, fear, no matter - you can’t give up with the patient opened up in front of you, and you can’t just get up from your pilot’s seat in the middle of a flight. You have to see it through to the end."
"There's a way to deal with crises - whether in Afghanistan, in your company, or in your personal life. If you're overwhelmed by inputs and the crisis is raging, try to close your perimeter. Focus on your area of competence and your task at hand, and avoid distractions as much as possible. Once the crisis has passed, you can start to open up and take on tasks outside your expertise."
"In South Sudan, people deal with the war by sharing. With the doctor, with the priest, with anybody around them. Just by sharing what they feel and fear, they’re able to keep their spirits and their sense of humor. Sharing what’s on our mind makes us stronger. When a person is sick in South Sudan, their entire village accompanies them to the hospital to make sure they’ll be all right. We’re used to taking antidepressants and sharing just basic things about our life with our therapist, which isn’t enough."
"If you drive a car, you know that there are tons of sensors that warn you before your car breaks down, that tell you something’s wrong. It’s the same with your body. Listen to it. Prevention makes sense."
This is why we love our Focus sessions, because they’re always full of practical advice. One of our favorites was Tomas' “High-Five Health” concept, five guidelines to help keep you healthy and happy:
- Sweat at least two drops every day.
One drop is a mistake, two drops means you moved your body today. Always make sure you get some physical activity in your day.
- Don’t finish all your plates.
If you can leave at least one of your three meals unfinished, you’re doing your body a favor. It’s a great way to prolong, as Tomas says, not just your lifespan, but your healthspan - feeling healthy for as long as possible.
- Drop the temperature.
Don’t worry, we don’t mean in your home. This one’s pretty simple: when going outside in cold weather, cut one of the layers.
- Get enough sleep.
Four hours won’t do it. You need eight hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep to keep not just your body, but your mind fresh and resilient.
- Tend to your relationships.
With your family, your friends, your coworkers…anybody. Strong relationships mean a long healthspan.
We’ll wrap it up with a piece of fitness advice Tomas received in South Sudan, easily applied to plenty of city sidewalks: “If you’re going out for a run, make sure to watch for landmines”.
See you at the next session!