HEARTS IN MOTIONA JOURNEY OF HOPE FOR DR. ZIAD AND MURIELLE HAGE
Bombs. Sirens. 2006. Lebanon. A Choice, leave the love of your life and homeland for a coveted career opportunity in the United States, or remain together in flight from a dangerous war-torn country and lose the opportunity you’ve worked for all of your life?
For Ziad Adel Hage, these choices needed to be made quickly and definitively. His decision was to venture onward to fulfill his dream and to create a fruitful life for he and fiancé Murielle. Ziad was inspired since childhood to pursue a medical career. His father was one of the first medical oncologists in Lebanon and his uncle was a radiation oncologist. While Ziad knew early on that he wanted to become a physician, he also knew that he wanted to become a surgeon. He entered the American University of Beirut where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Biology and then earned his Medical degree in 2005. Towards the end of medical school, he was fascinated by the brain and the nervous system and had already decided he wanted to become a neurosurgeon. To complete his dream, he needed to take the exam in the United States. Getting to the United States was not an easy endeavor for Ziad at this tumultuous time. Murielle remembers the time with raw emotion. “ During the Summer of 2006, a war broke between Lebanon and Israel. My husband was due to take a flight to Chicago a week later in order to take an important medical exam which would allow him to apply for a Neurosurgery residency program in the United States. This exam can only be taken in select cities in the US. “
The terror of the air strikes is still vivid with Murielle as she recounts the devastation around her. “The Beirut International airport and runways were destroyed leaving us trapped; a lot of the infrastructure, including bridges, electrical and telephone poles were hit. The only thing you could hear were rocket launchers, missiles and fighter jets conducting air strikes. The sound of the air strikes still haunts me deeply today. “ For Ziad, his travel to take the exam was not an easy direct route. Murielle notes, “Beirut was under siege: the only way to escape the country was by driving to the northern Syrian border. My husband (then fiancé) was convinced that the only way to make it to the US on time for his exam was to risk his life and leave the country through the Syrian border despite the bombings. He found the only cab driver in Lebanon that agreed to drive him to Syria under the bombs. They were the only ones on the road! Once he reached the Lebanese-Syrian border, he took refuge in a church where he was greeted by the priest who had baptized him when he was a baby. After spending a few nights there, Ziad took a flight from Damascus Airport to Chicago via London. “Back in Lebanon, Murielle had decisions to make as well in regards to her safety. She recalls her last moments with Ziad before he left her at her parent’s home. He left with a promise and a strong hug that he was going to make this journey and create a new life for them. They locked eyes and hearts in that moment – and then he was off. Murielle notes. “Meanwhile, I was terrified and I had no means of communicating with him. I was getting ready to escape Lebanon with my parents and
siblings on the French military ships that came to rescue all the French citizens. We were at sea for almost 3 days, reached Turkey and took a flight to Paris. We were all finally safe. “ Murielle was in a holding pattern. Although safe with her family in Paris, she was hopeful to hear from Ziad on his safety and exam results. The couple were not in touch for a period after they left Lebanon due to the circumstances of the war. Murielle was elated to hear fantastic news when they did make contact. ” My husband passed the exam (Less than 8% of foreign medical graduates are accepted in very competitive programs such as Neurosurgery) that he took in Chicago and was accepted at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago for a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship position in Neurosurgery. I arrived in Chicago a few months later in December 2006. I hadn’t seen Ziad in 6 months. I had left my family, my friends and my home to come live with my soon to be husband (we were still engaged at that time) and support him in his decision to pursue a 7-year residency program and career in Neurosurgery in the US.” Murielle made a brave decision - she moved to Chicago to join Ziad. Looking back, she reflects, “It was very overwhelming to me when I first arrived in Chicago. I didn’t know anyone and my English was poor. The brutal cold weather had already started. I was very nostalgic, missing my family and my warm Mediterranean home.” “When I finally received my US, work permit I was able to start a new job as a Marketing Manager with an airline company and was then promoted to sales as a Digital Account Manager handling large online portfolio accounts.” Following 7 years of medical school, Ziad performed a 2-year postdoctoral research fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Following the fellowship, he did 7 years of neurosurgical residency training and then 1 year of subspecialty fellowship training in Endovascular Neurosurgery at University of Illinois at Chicago. It was a total of 17 years of sacrifice and sleepless nights. Dr. Ziad Hage’s dedication and perseverance in his practice brought him and his family to Charlotte. When he finished his training, he joined Novant Health to help build their neurosurgery program in Charlotte. Dr. Ziad Hage brought cutting edge microsurgical techniques as well as technologies to help the community in Charlotte and beyond. In 2018, Dr. Hage became the first surgeon in North Carolina to perform a minimally invasive surgery through an opening the size of a pencil. The surgery is done to evacuate a blood clot deep in a patient’s brain using a camera. He is also spearheading the brain bypass program and performs high level, technically challenging surgeries that only a few specialists perform nationally and internationally to help patients with strokes and rare blood vessel diseases. Dr. Hage’s scope of practice includes conditions affecting the blood vessels of the brain such as brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations or fistulas, Moyamoya disease, cerebrovascular atherosclerotic disease, stroke, as well as cavernous malformations, brain and spinal cord tumors. Countless lives of grateful patients have been positively impacted by Dr. Hage. Currently, he is a Board-Certified Neurosurgeon, lead physician for cranial and endovascular neurosurgery at Novant Health PMC, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Hage specializes in surgery for Moyamoya disease. It is like a brain bypass. Outside of his clinical work with patients, Dr. Hage enjoys teaching and educating in the community and nationally where he travels around giving lectures and presentations. He also enjoys teaching high school students and medical students as well as nurses and other healthcare professionals. Currently, he serves on multiple important regulatory committees at the hospital and is principal investigator of several research studies. It’s like a modern- day fairy tale entwined with love, hard work, faith and perseverance. While in Chicago, he and Murielle were married in a modest service. They started a beautiful Family and have two sons, Christian and Alexander, as well as a puppy Huskimo named Zoe. Murielle is currently working as a French tutor. Hard to believe they have been in Charlotte almost 5 years! Murielle reflects back – “All these years of hard work ultimately paid off and now can say we are very blessed.”
Education Background of Ziad Adel Hage, MD, FAANS
Medical School: American University of Beirut (2005)
Internship: University of Illinois at Chicago 2009
Residency: University of Illinois at Chicago 2015
Fellowship: University of Illinois at Chicago 2016
