Wow what a Journey!

I read somewhere once that running a startup is like running a race. You put in 100% and that gets you less than half way there. You have to dig down and get that extra 60% somewhere deep inside you to finish the race. Right when you feel that all hope is lost and you'll never make it, that is when you're almost there. It is at this point where most people quit but you must push forward to succeed. Thats exactly how I feel with this startup.

So as most of you are aware, I have been developing the 'virtual stethoscope/otoscope' a medical device that plugs into your smartphone or tablet to provide a medical provider a 'virtual' physical exam anywhere. The device functions like a regular stethoscope (device that listens to heart/lungs) and otoscope (device that looks into ears) except it allows a remote physical exam through your smart device. This medical device will eliminate the need to go to the doctor's office and can provide a physical exam through a telemedicine video visit.

I have been passionate about this invention as I feel it can help so many people world wide! I have been working tirelessly with my electrical engineer in Pakistan to make a functional prototype that we can send to the testing lab to complete the safety testing that is needed to get FDA approval.

This sounds great right? Well here comes the snag. My stethoscope developer who I have been working with for almost 4 yrs says he has everything worked out with the prototype. Its working great! I have tested it with him many times and It has perfect sound, as clear as if we're in the same room not thousands of miles away from each other. He had a local cardiologist test it out too and it is working great! It has bluetooth capability, an on/off switch, low battery light indicator. Plus it has a fetoscope attachment to listen to baby heart sounds for pregnant women! The otoscope attachment can attach to any phone type with a locking mechanism so that you can look into both adult and children's ears without it falling off your phone with use. My engineer says he's sending me a copy of the prototype by mail soon. Once I have the new prototype I can then send it to the testing lab for FDA approval. He just needs to get a 3D printer that prints harder plastic as the current 3D printer resin is too soft and is making the device too pliable. It will be finalized in a matter of weeks! Great news! We're even thinking of having the device assembly in the USA with partial manufacturing in Pakistan as it will be cheaper and he can continue to monitor quality of the product. Everything is moving along smoothly until.... silence.

One month goes by, two months go by, three months go by. I message him, I email him with no reply. It's like he fell off the planet. He has always responded to me within seconds of me messaging him. Even in the middle of the night he would always respond to me right away. I'm worried he has died. Pakistan isn't a safe country and there has been some fighting lately between Pakistan and India. Maybe he somehow got injured or killed? Maybe he was in a car accident? I've had long discussions at night with my husband on my next steps. What do I do now if he died? How far along were the device files backed up? What should I do next? Send a letter to his wife and see if she can update me on his status?

Just when I'm about to put pen to paper and send an old fashioned letter I get a WhatsApp text message from him. I practically cry with joy! He had started a new job with a pharmaceutical company and had been working long hours with lots of travel and hadn't been able to get back to me. He apologized about being out of touch and had some great future ideas for our House Calls Mobile App! The App discussion comes at a good time as I've been having trouble with my current App developer from India. He has been using my account for his own purposes downloading Travel Apps without my authorization. So here we are now. We're going to spend this summer with my summer interns from UC Berkley running some comparative tests to a regular stethoscope and otoscope and by summer's end the device should be shipped to the USA. From there it will be sent to the FDA testing lab for safety testing and finally FDA approval. Down this long road we go with many, many steps till journey end and a lot of twists and turns in the road along the way! This journey requires strength, determination and fortitude. Nothing short of a marathon journey!