Every day I get to see one of the most touching scenes that takes place in a hospital: parents, often with tears in their eyes, kiss their kids and then apprehensively hand them over to a surgeon or anesthesiologist who then takes that little child in his arms and walks back to an operating room. Sometimes, the child is placed into a little wagon and wheeled to the OR. As I stand back and watch, it hits me how lucky and privileged we are to have this sacred trust from parents who allow us to cut into their kids with the hope that we will rid them of disease or alleviate their suffering.
Taking care of children is so much more enjoyable to me than caring for adults. Children are resilient, optimistic, and trusting. Children are rarely at fault for their maladies whereas adults are often culpable for their ailments due to their bad habits and self-neglect. No matter how fatigued or burnt out I am, it is impossible for me to be in a bad mood when I walk into my patient's room and see a child watching cartoons, playing with a firetruck, and eating a popsicle. When I am sewing the delicate skin of a 2 month old baby, I am even more meticulous than I would normally be. The thought of rushing in order to take a break between cases or grab some lunch never crosses my mind. Having kids as my patients seems to bring out the best in me as a physician.
4 comments:
I almost cried on this one.
The last few posts are your best yet.
hey steven how are ya? (this is hillary from your home ward by the way) seems like you are having some great experiences working as a doctor! check out my blog if you wanna read about some of my crazy freshman happenings here at the Y! good luck with your work :)
Steve - how I could kiss you for your depth of heart. A man who sees purpose in his day (especially when it involves kids) is way more attractive than any tall, blue-eyed doctor. Too bad you are both.
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