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Edited on Sat Jun-11-11 12:17 PM by PCIntern
I don't work Saturdays in the Summertime due to the fact that many patients make appointments and don't show up because the weather is nice, they sleep in, they met someone at the beach the night before and are still in bed, whatever, but today, I had four people whom I had to see because they were going away for the summer or had open-ended problems which required intense scrutiny and treatment of conditions which may take 15 minutes, or two hours. So I spaced them about 75 minutes apart and said that I might be able to take them early or they may have to wait. Well, for once, everything went well quickly for everyone and so I finished each early and for some reason, each patient had come early so I was able to move right along.
So after I finished my last person, I decided to go to the cart across the street and get some breakfast, and I ran into my last patient and she told me that something was still bothering her, so instead of breakfast, I took her back upstairs, took care of the problem quickly, and walked her out to the street. After we bid goodbye, I was waiting at the light and behind me, a blind couple came up and were clearly lost. So of course I asked, "Can I help you with something?" He replied, my wife is going to an office on Monday in the such and such building on Walnut Street, but we can't find the entrance." I replied, "That's my medical building, here, let me take you back to the entrance which is on the cross street." (We tell all our new patients this when they first appoint - it is confusing, since there are two stores at ground level on Walnut). I could see that not only were they both blind, but that her eye had been enucleated, so I asked, "Are you attending the oculist?" They both rather excitedly nodded. One of the only oculists in the Delaware Valley is in my building and it is a most fascinating art and science. I said to them, "He's a great guy and a great oculist, I have a number of my own patients who have terrific results and if I didn't know, I couldn't tell that the eye was prosthetic." Again, they were both so happy and relieved that they'd been shown the way and had their choice of professional validated by someone whom they met on the street. He said to me, "Thank you thank you and God bless you for being here for us."
So my point is I suppose,if that last patient hadn't been uncomfortable and I hadn't gone back up and come down again at just that time, these people would have had a whole different approach to her visit on Monday and feelings in general. I'm not one of those predestination people and I don't believe in "God's Plan" or any of that stuff, but I was glad to serendipitously be able to make a difference for strangers with afflictions while others avoid helping for a variety of reasons, some of which I comprehend, some of which I do not. It made me feel very very well, emotionally and as a fellow human being.
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