Mr. P

Recently I operated on a frail old patient named Mr. P. He had terrible peripheral vascular disease that required me to amputate one of his legs. When he was stable, we discharged him to a nursing home. I came across his obituary today in the newspaper. I knew he didn't have long to live given his fragile condition, but the news of his passing was still a shock. The obituary had about 15 entries from family and friends who shared what a special and influential man Mr. P was in their lives. Seeing him in the hospital in his demented and sick state, I never considered that this was a man who had lived a full and fruitful life. He had been married for 50 years and had 2 daughters, 12 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. He was a successful accountant and was active in his church. When I rounded on Mr. P every day, he just seemed like a sick man whose days appeared to be numbered. I am glad I was able to read his obituary to see that the illness that defined the final stage of his life was merely a sad, short chapter in an otherwise long, happy book.