My Grandfather in Grundy, Virginia

In the late seventies, my grandfather, Sido, took a job as head surgeon at Buchanan General Hospital in Grundy, Virginia, a coal-mining town nestled between Kentucky and West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. Grundy, the county seat of Buchanan County, was known for its rural charm and red political leanings. The town, which had once boasted a population of 1,100, had since dwindled to 875.

Despite the lack of modern amenities like Walmart or McDonald's, Grundy had its own A-Mart and Hardee's. My grandfather, a UVA and Sloan Kettering-trained doctor specializing in oncology, reconstructive surgery, and obstetrics, had previously served as chairman of the Red Crescent Society in Nablus, Palestine. My grandmother, Tata, had accompanied my grandfather to Grundy after his job search, eager to return to America, despite her preference for Manhattan.

The family's arrival in Grundy, marked by a visit to McDonald's, was met with a mix of apprehension and excitement as they settled into their new life in a town where they would be the only non-white doctors.