The day before everything changed

The day before the world shut down, I laughed at a man wearing a gas mask in a crowded station. Within days, he no longer looked ridiculous — he looked early.

Caned

I was thirteen, back in Ghana, and I walked past a teacher. We nodded. We kept walking. We were caned. The rule we'd broken didn't exist anywhere we'd been before — and that was precisely the point.

Ice Water

I had done everything asked of me. Written papers. Practiced until my answers had no edges. Still, I wasn't breaking through. Then, the week before my interviews, I got into the water.

The Lessons of the Skin

I was a medical student with lesions I didn't recognise. The textbooks had no images of skin like mine. So I did the only thing left — I called my mother in Ghana.

Understanding Experience

After my exams, I thought I was ready. Then I watched a master do the same operation in a third of the time. No rush. No drama. Just something I hadn't yet earned.

The House

I was asked to consider the biggest role available. I chose the smaller one instead. Not from fear — from knowing exactly where my leadership would actually mean something.

The Long Distance Between Speed and Experience

He was fifteen years older, calm, conservative in theatre. I assumed the half marathon was mine. He crossed the finish line well ahead of me and barely looked like he'd tried.

Zero

I opened the assessment and saw zero. Not a low score. Not borderline. Zero. Across every domain. As if everything I had done in that theatre didn't exist.

Two Languages

The approach that got me through training failed me completely in the exam room. Same knowledge. Different room. I had to learn a second language nobody teaches you.

In the Room Where They Used My Work

The panel told me I wasn't ready to sit my exam. That same term, I sat in a lecture theatre and heard my own work being taught to the room. Nobody knew I was there.

Hospital at night

I chose surgery on a quiet night in a doctors' mess, based on thirty minutes of calm and one honest conversation. The information was incomplete. The commitment was not.

Sisters and Misters

Some women in surgery don't just inspire you. They hand you the map they had to draw themselves, and quietly show you where the difficult rooms are.

Average Black Surgeon

Brothers in arms

Surgery is competitive by design. Finding people who genuinely want you to succeed — and who you want the same for — changes everything.

Average Black Surgeon

The Art of Showing Your Work

You put your head down, you do the work, and you wait to be noticed. It took one conversation to understand why that was the wrong strategy.

Average Black Surgeon

The Indian Uncle

In surgical training, skill isn’t enough. You need someone in your corner. My “Indian Uncle” spoke little—but protected me, built my confidence, and taught me the quiet power of trust and loyalty.

Average Black Surgeon

Forgotten

Months after CCT, I found myself unemployed, filling out forms and applying for locums while the system moved on without me. When the operating stops, a surgeon must ask a difficult question: who am I now?

Average Black Surgeon

Outcome 3

Outcome 3. A moment when your career feels like it might collapse. Rumours spread, confidence disappears, and the system closes in. Sometimes survival requires finding another way forward.

Average Black Surgeon

Being Called Stupid in Theatre

Thirty-two years old. Exams passed. Years of training behind me. Yet in theatre a consultant called me “stupid.” In surgery, hierarchy is real — and sometimes the hardest lesson is knowing when to hold your ground.

Average Black Surgeon

The moment I became better at surgery

One month into being a consultant, grief replaced fear. Faced with a brutally complex case, the fog lifted. In that moment I stopped worrying about judgement and started operating with purpose.

Orthom8 newsletter #6

👋🏾 Welcome to this edition of the Orthom8 newsletter. My name is Harry Benjamin-Laing and I'm the founder of Orthom8. I'm very pleased that you have taken the time to sign up to the membership. I look forward to getting to know you all, interacting and

Average Black Surgeon

The Long Game

At 13 miles I reached the edge of my experience. Everything beyond that point was unknown. The lesson I learnt there would carry me through surgery and life.

Average Black Surgeon

Shadow of my father

In a crowded clinic waiting room, a stranger spoke my father’s name. Legacy is not loud — it is a quiet reminder of who you are.

Average Black Surgeon

Teamwork

Teamwork isn’t slogans or shared credit. It’s stepping beyond titles when it matters. This is what real surgical collaboration looks like.

Average Black Surgeon

The Last Smack

I was four years old when I realised I could not control everything — but I could control myself. The last smack became the first lesson in resilience.