A Doctor’s Journey

This book is about the life and struggles of a Hungarian boy who had a fervent desire to be a doctor, and despite many obstacles along the way, would one day realize his dream in America. Laszlo Makk was born into a hardworking and loving family. He survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary during his childhood. When World War II started, his school was confiscated and converted into a military hospital, and he had to attend school in the afternoon. His high school was in the city of Győr which was a west-to-east rail connection for German military transport trains, and for this reason was frequently bombed by the allies. During the war, he and his family put themselves at risk and helped their Jewish friends. He was very proud of these efforts. Toward the end of World War II, the German-Soviet front was moving and putting more pressure on Germany. The Nazis were getting desperate and threatened Laszlo’s family. However, they had no time to make good on their threats because of the fast advancing Soviet troops who soon took over his town. The Nazi occupation was bad, but the Soviet occupation was worse. Most of the Soviet troops were barbarians who raped, pilfered, and shot innocent civilians at will. Hungary was taken over by a cruel Soviet-supported communist dictatorship following World War II. Laszlo and his family lived in constant fear of random arrest, torture, and deportation to gulag-type of concentration camps. With the war having ended, he was able to transfer to the very famous and historic gymnazium (school) attached to the Pannanholma monastery in his home town. As soon as the communist dictators consolidated their power, they confiscated all private schools including Laszlo’s gymnazium. They kicked out all of the professors, arrested some of them, and replaced them all with lay teachers. In addition, they brought in rabid communist students. As soon as they arrived, these students created tremendous tensions and threats. Laszlo served as a key witness to an attempted rape of a female classmate by one of these communist students even though he knew he might be kicked out of school and perhaps arrested under false accusations. The Lord was smiling at him because one morning it became known that the troublemaking communist students had disappeared during the night. They were gone and there were sighs of relief. Laszlo graduated cum laude from high school and applied for admission to medical school. His admission was denied because of his parochial school background and because his father employed several people and was not a communist supporter. Laszlo’s chances of becoming a doctor appeared to be going up in smoke. However, he didn’t give up. After earning a cum laude college degree, he maneuvered his way into medical school. With this round of applying, he did not let the medical school know that his father had employees and hid from them the fact that his cousin had escaped to the free world. Throughout medical school in Hungary, he feared the administration would discover the truth about his family and kick him out. In 1956, he was a fourth year medical student. There were signs of hope that the iron grip of the communist dictator was loosening. A peaceful demonstration was organized by university students. As they approached the radio broadcasting building, they began to be hit with heavy gunfire from the building’s open windows. One of Laszlo’s classmates was killed just 10 feet from him. Before long the demonstrators were provided guns and ammunition by gun factory workers and a bloody battle ensued. Initially the students known as “Freedom Fighters” won the battle, but not for long. The Soviets invaded with overwhelming military force and defeated the Freedom Fighters, returning the country to the status of a communist slave satellite of the Soviet Union once again. Laszlo had to escape after he found out his name was on the wanted list. Once again, his life’s desire to become a doctor was challenged. After a dangerous escape into Vienna, he immediately applied for a U.S. immigration permit. Once in the United States, a new life in a brave new world began for him. In America, Laszlo tried to resume his medical studies, but without speaking English and having no money, it appeared to be an impossible task. He applied to more than 10 medical schools and was denied admission by them all. He would never give up trying and finally was accepted by Albany Medical College in New York. Barely speaking English, he flunked nearly every exam in the beginning, but he persevered and upon graduation he received the award for giving the best care to his patients. Laszlo wanted to be a heart surgeon and was accepted for post-doctoral training at the world famous Texas Medical Center under the supervision of Drs. DeBakey and Cooley. Laszlo was even awarded the Outstanding Intern Award while training there. During his training in Texas, he contracted hepatitis from one of his patients. (Fighting survival at one point, he would eventually undergo a successful liver transplant decades later). Because of this, Laszlo changed paths and switched to pathology training. Upon completion of his pathology training, he was offered a position as an assistant professor at his alma mater, Baylor College of Medicine. Realizing that academic medicine was not his cup of tea, Dr. Makk accepted a position as Chief Pathologist and Director of Laboratories at St. Anthony Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky instead. His first task was to build a first-class laboratory from scratch. During this time, he along with surgeon Dr. John L. Creech, Jr. discovered that vinyl chloride exposure of workers in the plastic industry causes a cancer called¬¬¬¬ angiosarcoma of the liver. This helped to usher in a new era in occupational medicine. World renown for his research and discoveries, Dr. Makk wrote many articles and traveled the world speaking on the subject. His expertise in the field of cancer proofed helpful when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. He supported her through her 14-year battle as they pursued the best in treatment and care possible. Dr. Makk has received many awards not only for his achievements in the medical world, but for his outward efforts to show appreciation for America and what it means to live in the land of the free. He was awarded the American Hungarian Foundation Lincoln Award and the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Good Citizenship Award for being an outstanding citizen and patriot. The Makks have enjoyed their lives in Louisville. They also have been enough fortunate to enjoy with great passion their thoroughbred horse and cattle farm “Six Acorn Farm” (Makk means acorn in Hungarian) located just outside of the city. Many wonderful times have also been spent at their home in Palm Beach. The Makk family legacy continues as the four sons and nine grandchildren pursue their dreams. Dr. Laszlo Makk feels very blessed in so many ways and will always be proud of his Hungarian roots and forever grateful for being an American and a doctor.