I typically don't write much about work, except to complain or to share about some interesting social event. Patient related issues should remain private, and this blogger business certainly is nowhere near confidential. So, I never share any substantial details about my hospital life. But tonight I shall say a few things: I have been
touched by the patients and parents I have been taking care of today. Listening to the mother of the diabetic child, I can hear the quiver in her voice really wanting to know if her child will live a normal and full life. Speaking to the father of the child who has a skull fracture after falling off a skateboard without a helmet, I can sense the regrets and the "what ifs" that are running through his head. I feel the pain of the family in the room next door who don't know if their son will ever "wake up" and be the normal teenager he was just months ago or if they (and us) will ultimately know the reason for all his medical problems. And then there's the young woman who requires so much medical and ventilatory support after an emergency head surgery that you can't help feeling a little bit sad. But it's this same person who, after a few minutes of struggled conversation through her tracheostomy, reminds you that life is worth living and that suffering will pass... I know, because I can see it in her eyes and how she reaches out to touch my hand. I barely know this young lady, but tonight, she's my hero. I'm happy to be her doctor right now.
