An Enlightened Plastic Surgeon?

On Aug 16, 2010, around 4:30pm, Dr. Frank Ryan died when his 1995 Jeep Wrangler went off the side of Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu and landed on its roof. As I periodically checked the internet for any accident investigation results, I gathered my thoughts and memories of this great man. I was saddened to read most of the website listings of his death concluding that he was texting and/or tweeting at his final moments. For whatever reason, this simply did not seem to make sense to me.

It was Dr. Ryan's ex-girlfriend who declared this "texting while driving" statement. She did not state that she was engaged in a text conversation with him at 4:30pm (which would give solid proof of this speculation), so I am not sure how this was concluded, especially since his last tweet was twenty minutes prior, at 4:10pm. Regardless, I feel that he should be remembered for his greatness and supreme level of being, instead of an unknown theory given to the hands of the media. From my personal experience with Dr. Ryan, I highly doubt that he would text and drive. He was cautious, patient, present and highly aware. He did not exhibit traits of a frantic multi-tasker who was always grasping for more time.

Unfortunately, we may never know what really happened - whether a small animal ran in front of the road, his unrestrained dog was startled unexpectedly, a gust of wind seized his Jeep, or that he may have sneezed. According to the latest government statistics, the cellular phone has been surpassed by a new "#1 Cause of Traffic Accidents": sneezing. Like everyone who knew him, I have been deeply saddened by his loss. He was truly the most impressive and masterfully skilled human being that I have ever met.

I spoke with Dr. Ryan about many topics, ranging from psychology, relationship dynamics, ethics to yoga. I have never met anyone who was able to bridge the gap of raw realism and pure presence. I have had the honor of sitting in rooms with pronounced saints and spiritual gurus, and I have never felt the level of pure love and conscious resonance that I felt from Dr. Ryan. He gave his fullest attention to whomever he was with, and he was always patient, kind and generous, regardless of one's status, circumstance or personality.

How ironic that he was a plastic surgeon, I thought when I first met him. In many ways, his example illustrates that the quest of such existential perfection is available to all of us - whether one is a car salesman, postal carrier or non-profit employee. The ultimate goal of enlightenment is to live this self-realized perfection and genuine service amidst the world. As many spiritual seekers have shared with us, it is hard enough to live true and pure while alone in a cave, removed from any outside distractions or influences. Dr. Ryan was a living example of unconditional service, even amidst an industry touted with egotistical materialism. At his 26-acre Bony Pony Ranch in Malibu, underprivileged and underserved youth and teens were given the opportunity to partake in leadership and life training courses. In addition, Dr. Ryan provided free removal of gang-related tattoos, birthmarks and scarring.

Recently, before a cross-country flight, I expressed a nervous travel reservation to a friend of mine as she dropped me at the airport. She put her car into park and pulled out a dollar bill from her pocket. She shared with me a Jewish tradition as she folded the dollar bill into a perfect rectangle, with only the word "ONE" showing on top. She gave me the bill, with the instructions that I was to find someone upon my arrival who needed the dollar, and to give it to that person. I pondered why she was doing this when she explained, "No one dies when they have a mission."

It gives me peace to think that Dr. Ryan was not distracted in his life mission. He succeeded in his personal perfection and mission attainment. He did not exhibit a drawn out struggle between his body and soul at his death. He hurt no one else in the process (even his beautiful dog survived). His soul was realized and his process was clean. He is one of the greatest examples of enlightenment that I have come to know. He lived the spirit of his high school; in the words of St. Francis de Sales, "Be who we are and be that well."

Thank you Dr. Ryan for touching my soul, and showing me a true and humble example of pure being.

 

 

 

Follow Alanna Zabel on Twitter: www.twitter.com/alannazabel

Comments

[lisa love]

02:17 PM on 09/02/2010

And if you think about it from a purely practical perspectiv­e, Heidi’s desire to have all the surgery at one time in order to complete her Barbie transforma­tion made sense to her. If you needed many plastic surgeries to achieve such a transforma­tion, would you rather get them done in one day and then healing at once, or do you want to drag out the surgeries over several years and go through separate recoveries for each procedure? I am not condoning Heidi's plastic surgery choices. I am, however, trying to set the record straight regarding the highest ethics, and moral character that Dr. Ryan exhibited as a surgeon.

[Alanna Zabel]

03:05 AM on 09/03/2010

Lisa, thank you so much for sharing even more about Dr. Ryan and his unique and sincerely pure charisma, as well as clarifying the controvers­ial topics of Heidi Montag's procedures­. Big big hug to you...

[lisa love]

02:16 PM on 09/02/2010

Yes, Heidi did have many procedures at a very early age. But Dr. Ryan determined she was psychologi­cally competent to understand the nature of her procedures and medically cleared her as being in good health to undergo those procedures­. Moreover, he did not perform all the procedures she wanted. But he did provide the results she wanted. And what she wanted was to be a Barbie doll. Like Pamela Anderson, before her, Heidi's dream was fulfilled. Yet Pamela’s transforma­tion did not draw all the media scrutiny that Heidi’s transforma­tion did. But Pamela likely had as many procedures as Heidi in order to achieve her Barbie status. The difference is that Pamela did not have all her procedures done at the same time. So it was not as big a story to the media.

[lisa love]

02:15 PM on 09/02/2010

I must share my thoughts regarding his client, Heidi Montag. From my own experience with Dr. Ryan, and from conversati­ons with other patients, I have concluded and believe in the following: He was an exceptiona­lly ethical surgeon. He would not ever tell patients what procedures they should obtain. Instead, He inquired about his patients' goals (For instance, were they trying to lose weight, did they want to improve the appearance of their skin, etc). They would answer these questions in writing. Then he would meet his patients, ask them more questions and discuss the different ways of meeting their goals. He would frequently meet with his patients several times before they decided to go under the knife. Again, he never, ever pushed his patients or told his patients what they should do. If you dared asked him “should I do X?” he would stay silent for a long moment and they gently tell you he could not tell you what to do. Nor did Dr. Ryan ever just do what prospectiv­e patients asked him to do.

[lisa love]

02:12 PM on 09/02/2010

Perhaps that is why he invested so much of himself in his non-profit foundation­, the Bony Pony Ranch, which was dedicated to supporting underprivi­leged children. He saw the potential for greatness in all of us, regardless of our social, economic or educationa­l background­. It was an absolute privilege, gift and life changing experience to have known Dr. Frank Ryan. I have shed many tears over his passing and miss him more than I could ever have imagined. His life was truly an example of how to be, how to live, and perhaps most importantl­y, how to love.

[lisa love]

02:11 PM on 09/02/2010

Words cannot express my gratitude for accurately describing your friend and mine, Dr. Frank Ryan. I have read several article posted on the internet since his tragic death. Your article was the first to describe him for who he truly was-an incredible­, joyful, kind, generous, loving and compassion­ate human being. I understand why some might find your portrayal of Dr. Ryan surprising­. After all, he was he profited from those who sought the appearance of beauty. But I can say without reservatio­n, that this man was very close to being a saint, because to be in his presence was to be in the presence of love. Pure love. I say this because of how lovingly he treated others. He always greeted you with a genuine smile and an incredible sparkle in his eyes, followed by the sincere question of “how are you?” But he never asked this question using a generic verbal tone. Rather, he asked the question wanting to genuinely know how you were feeling, doing, and being. He never spoke unkindly to anyone nor talked negatively about anyone. When you spoke to him, he treated you like you were the most important person in the room. He always supported your personal and profession­al goals, projects, and even your most over the top dreams. And when I reflect back on my many visits with him at his ranch and office, I think he did believe that we were all exceptiona­lly important as human beings.

[robpaulmar]

11:33 PM on 08/29/2010

There seems to be a serious disconnect­ion between your fulsome praise / descriptio­n of a man who enabled Ms. Montag in her pursuit of perfection­. Perhaps he was indeed a saint, but how many of us associate the qualities of sainthood, the activities of a saint, with a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon who lives in Malibu> I know this may be cynicism on my part, but I have always associated the idea of saint with those who sacrifice the trappings and props of modern society, those who single-min­dedly pursue a cause, whether it be feeding the malnourish­ed, sheltering the homeless. His ranch, his removing tattoos gratis is admirable, granted. What also strikes me is that all 'saints' I know --- Dr. Martin Luther King. Ghandi, Mother Theresa -- all were deeply flawed as human beings. No one, not even a saint, is such an example of perfection in virtue, in vocation.

[Alanna Zabel]

12:01 AM on 08/30/2010

Dr. Ryan's vocation was that of a plastic surgeon. Heidi Montag hired him to fulfill her desires in accordance with his offerings. Dr. Ryan also repaired injured fighters, accident victims as well as reversing plastic surgery's sometimes unnatural effects. Heidi Montag is not the poster face for Dr. Ryan; she was an example of work that he did, again according to her wishes. Don't forget, too, that he denied her the larger breast implants that she initially sought.

But, that was not my point. I feel that I was clear in illustrati­ng that he walked the talk of living kindness. So many people believe that we must renounce life and it's natural abundance in order to be a saint, and it seems that you may hold that belief as well. It is easier to not be seduced to the attractive attachment­s that life wants to offer us in efforts to live a life of service - but that may merely act as a leach. To be able to bridge both worlds, in my opinion, is impressive­, noble and rare.

Thanks for your thoughts. Try to look beyond label, vocation, name, and the like to see the essence of who people really are. I know of many frauds in the name of religion and spirituali­ty; I was more impressed with the likes of Dr. Ryan in 90210 moreso than any yoga instructor or spiritual "guru" that I have ever met. Sometimes life is an optical illusion..­..

[robpaulmar]

09:30 AM on 08/30/2010

I appreciate your input, and will concede, that I know little about Dr. Ryan, and respect the adage to 'not speak ill of the dead.' However, there are a couple of pints that bear listing. No physician should simply perform according to a patient's wishes. Does a endocrinol­ogist prescribe thyroid medication because a patient who is feeling run down and 'wishes' she could feel more peppy? Does an ophthomolo­gist perform Lasik on an high school base ball player with 20/20 vision because he feels it enhance his ability to see the ball? Now, though I do not claim to be an authority, and unlike former senator and cardiac surgeon Bill Frist, I will never be so bold as to make a diagnosis from afar, but as a psychiatri­st and an ethicist, I feel compelled to thrown in my two cents. I will fully endorse how cosmetic surgery can enhance a person's confidence and self esteem, particular­ly in a culture which gives greater value to a person's appearance that to their character.

[robpaulmar]

09:30 AM on 08/30/2010

But judging from what I read of Ms Montag, I am highly suspicious that she may be suffering from body dysmorphic disorder, or some other psychiatri­c disorder, perhaps an unhealthy belief she needs to be more 'beautiful­' or 'perfect' in order to be acceptable or in order to be more employable­. This, in my opinion, should be first addressed by a responsibl­e, knowledgea­ble, and compassion­ate therapist. Second, you credit Dr. Ryan's work removing tattoos or operating on the disfigured as signs of his sainthood. But are not all physicians obligated to tend to the ill and the injured? Not only is a matter of the oath we pledge at graduation­, the ethics of out profession­, but it is also grounded on the fact that our education is largely funded by the government­, funded with the understand­ing that we attend to the underserve­d. Lastly, you admonish me to avoid labeling, and I fully agree, but the choice we make, the choices which create the narrative of our lives, are based on our temperamen­t, our dispositio­n, and our values, so based on the facts made known to the public about Dr Ryan’s choices, I made some assumption­s. Yes, assumption­s can be insidious and untrustwor­thy and unfair, but if based on experience­, on reflection­, they may be more than a ‘label.’