Bro, grab a coffee and sit down, because I've got news that'll make you realize how fragile life is! Professor Doctor Bogdan Marinescu, former Health Minister and director of the Giulești Maternity Hospital, has passed away at 81. One of the most famous obstetrician-gynecologists, the man who brought hundreds of kids into this world, has now left us. And here I am, complaining about my BMW payments, while he lived a life like a movie!
Listen up, his career was something to be scared of: over four decades of work, director of the Giulești Maternity Hospital - that one in Bucharest, one of the top facilities of its kind. And he didn't stop at medicine: he went into politics, was Health Minister between June '90 and October '91, a deputy between '92 and '96, a senator between '96 and 2000, all from the Democratic Party. Let's be real, how many of us can say they've been in Parliament? My wife Mioara tells me I couldn't even make it as a doorman at city hall, but he was there, cool as a cucumber.
But what blew my mind, bro, is the case that went around the world. In 2005, he did an in vitro fertilization for a 66-year-old teacher, Adriana Iliescu. And he succeeded! The little girl, Eliza, was born healthy, and Bogdan became her godfather. You don't know what it means to bring a child into the world at that age - me and Mioara struggled at 30, but he did it at 66! She was the oldest mother in the world at the time. Good for him, this man made history.
Now, not everything was milk and honey, let's be serious. The fire at the Giulești Maternity Hospital in 2010, where several babies died, was a tragic moment. In 2015, he was sentenced to 6 months suspended prison and damages. But, let's say like a Romanian: he remained a landmark in medicine. Younger colleagues always consulted him, because his experience was priceless. That's how it is with us, in Romania: you make a mistake, but if you're good, people respect you.
The funeral will take place in the coming days, and it will be full of colleagues, former students, and patients. I personally didn't know him, but when I hear about something like this, I think of Brian and Ioana: maybe one day they'll be proud of something too, not just TikTok. Rest in peace, professor!
