Alfred and Blair Sadler think big.
The identical twin brothers (Blair is four minutes the younger) are trained as a doctor and a lawyer respectively, and they’ve done big things with that educational pedigree, too. While working at the National Institutes of Health the brothers wrote the law – the 1968 Uniform Anatomical Gift Act – that allows us all to opt in as organ donors; later they helped establish the physicians assistant profession and overhaul modern emergency medical care. Their newly published book (P)LUCK: Lessons We Learned for Improving Healthcare and the World is in part a memoir, recounting stories of those experiences (like meeting Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren on the side of a squash court in Washington, D.C.) and the timeline of their professional partnership from 1967 to 1976.
But both will tell you that the heart of the book, its greatest value, lies not in those memories but in the 15 lessons for catalyzing change they identify from their experiences – lessons they say are just as relevant today as ever.
Thinking back on their careers, “we were struck by the fact that we had an opportunity – and almost an obligation – to try to distill those experiences, and create specific action steps that would motivate people to action,” Blair says.
“It’s very easy to get discouraged and become inert during these times,” Blair continues, citing the need for collective action in areas of climate change, racial equality, women’s rights and more. But “you have to take action, you have to get in the arena,” he says – and he wants this book to encourage readers to do just that.
They started off with about 25 potential lessons, Alfred says, then narrowed it down to 15, working collaboratively (as they are accustomed) between their homes in Carmel (Alfred) and La Jolla (Blair). “I don’t think we got into any major stuggles over it,” Alfred says.
The lessons include action items like “find and develop your voice” (#3), “seek out mentors” (#9) and “take the road less traveled” (#14) – many illustrated with examples from their own work.
It is the examples from other fields, however, that they say are especially important, because the Sadlers want all kinds of readers to find inspiration in the book – whether their sphere of impact is the vast field of bioethics or just lending a hand to a neighbor in need.
“This is not a philosophical or ideological book,” Blair says. “It’s very practical.” But the brothers do seem to have a philosophical goal in mind that involves encouraging people to think about impact and success at a community level rather than an individualistic one.
“The most meaningful thing people can do today is make a difference in a person’s life,” Blair says.