It was probably 615 am that day. I took my usual path through the children's hospital, the typical, quiet, uneventful path.
I passed a tiny patient accompanied by parents. It was a familiar sight in a total stranger. A tiny, pale, patient with no hair on their head, the veins of the scalp branching here and being tortuous there, like a Texas live oak.
It gave me flashbacks to all my cancer patients, one by one, out of chronological order. It was powerful, seizing me by the heart, a grasp that made me feel more awake and that reminded me of all the sorrow I felt caring for such sick patients.
I remember how I wished for this little stranger to have a better life, to be outside of hospitals, in the sun in the yard with their family.
Sometimes I wish there wasn't a need for children's hospitals, and that people this young could have a normal life growing up.
I wish you were right and children's hostpitals weren't such a need. I have close friends working at Nationwide Children's Hospital here in Columbus, OH. Folks working there make such a different, keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteYou have a fantastic blog here. I'm working with a non-profit sending medical students on a 3 week all-expenses paid trip. We're running a contest with two winners for the second year in a row. Last year we had massive amounts of responses and this year we're reaching out to related bloggers to help with promotion, opening up the contest to an even broader base of med students. I'd absolutely love to figure out a way to help you be part of the promotion.
Could you email adam.lehman@shoutoutstudio.com to discuss.
Thanks for considering and keep up the great work!