"A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles."
- Washington Irving
This is one of many quotes that inspired me to be the doctor I always wanted to be. I cannot exactly pinpoint when I stated in my mind that this is one reason I became a doctor. In every physician's life I know there must be a moment of clarity as to why he/she becomes a physician. For me, it was during my third year clerkship at Kingswinford Hospital in Kingswinford, England during my rotation in Pediatrics. Jeremy was an 11 year old boy with acute leukemia. This was in 1984. He was being raised by his grandparents. His grandmother had died only 6 months prior and now he was being raised solely by his elderly grandfather. He had failed his rescue chemotherapy. At that time there were no bone marrow transplants. Jeremy was getting worse by the day. I realized at that time that true healing means helping the whole family.
His grandfather could no longer watch his only grandchild die. Since Jeremy was having high fevers, his grandfather and I cleaned his face with a damp cloth. His grandfather bent down and kissed Jeremy's forehead to say goodbye. His grandfather in his unrecognizable Black Country diction said, "It's nice to meet a doctor who cares and understands." It wasn't until he uttered those words that I even felt I had any effect on this old man. Jeremy squeezed his grandpa's hand as he left. I grabbed Jeremy's hand. He asked if I could stay the night. I told him I would finish my ward rounds and then sit with him through the night.
Jeremy and his grandfather helped me discover a little more of myself. At about 3 am his grasp went limp. I knew he had died. I couldn't bring myself to let his hand go. I wept for more than 15 minutes, before I called the matron nurse. As in this case, there is not always a cure or an answer. Why him? I found out that day that this is the doctor I wanted to be. There may not be an answer in every case, but there is always time to be a compassionate healer. I try to the best of my ability to be a compassionate healer every single day. That is my mantra!
Jeremy and his grandfather helped me discover a little more of myself. At about 3 am his grasp went limp. I knew he had died. I couldn't bring myself to let his hand go. I wept for more than 15 minutes, before I called the matron nurse. As in this case, there is not always a cure or an answer. Why him? I found out that day that this is the doctor I wanted to be. There may not be an answer in every case, but there is always time to be a compassionate healer. I try to the best of my ability to be a compassionate healer every single day. That is my mantra!
Are doctors as compassionate as they could be? Does the ever changing quality of health care in this country have an effect on health care professionals? Believe me it does! There are many statistics that scientists cite related to how the United States lags behind other developed countries in quality of care. The Commonwealth Study analyzing 19 countries, stated that the United States had the highest number of deaths that could have been prevented using existing health care procedures. This is not a statistic that I want to read, nor be proud of. I used to think that we live in the greatest country in the world with the best health care. Today, as I mature in this country and its health care reform, I do NOT know if I could make such statements any longer.
How does the richest country in the world rank so low? What is happening? Do you think you can compare health care of a country to a state within the United States? Why can't it be done? Well it can be done. This can be done if a country has about the same population as a state. An example is to compare Sweden with a population of 9,074,055 (9 million) to the state of North Carolina with a population of 9,535,483 (9 million).
Studies have demonstrated that the United States can learn a lot from the quality of health care of other countries. The question is will the US begin to learn? Or will the US be arrogant (as some other countries think we are)? I do NOT think we should focus on what separates the United States from other countries, but instead what we can learn from these disparities.
I feel that studies should be done comparing quality of health care between cities within the United States. While in Idaho two weeks ago, I was thinking what is the quality of emergency care in Boise compared to Ithaca, New York? or to New York City? Is it fair to compare a small city like Boise to a large metropolitan city like New York City? Why do Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia have such a high rate of mortality amendable to health care when compared to the Northwestern States of Washington, Oregon and Idaho? Maybe these are the questions we as a country should be answering.
As a country we need to address the greatest challenge of our lifetime---our own health care reform. Although you might feel you cannot do anything to change beliefs/ideals, this is not correct. You can call your congressperson, or even the governor. You can be a participant rather than a bystander.
Get involved!
Until tomorrow...
Needle point of a fighting King Fish. Be the King Fish in your life!
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