This past spring, I was an outpatient at a medical center in Denver. It was a Friday and I was there for my final doctor visit as a follow-up to minor surgery that I'd had two days before. During my exam, my doctor noticed that I seemed to be having more trouble breathing. I said I was, but I thought it was a normal reaction to the surgery. A few minutes later, an x-ray showed that my left lung had collapsed, so he said, "I'm sorry, you can't go home, I must check you in to the hospital immediately.”
I then remembered that I hadn't yet packed my bags back at the hotel -- my clothes and toiletries and medications were still in drawers or spread all around the room. So I asked if I could just go to the hotel to check out and bring my luggage to the hospital. My doctor said, "No, I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
I was dismayed, and fretted that I'd now be paying for the hotel room and the hospital room -- on top of a flight change fee! My doctor didn't even hesitate. He said, "I'll go check you out." I looked at him, astounded. Here he was, a very busy specialist at one of the premier medical and research centers in the United States, and he's going to go pack my bags for me?!! Surely, he would send an assistant? But no, that's exactly what he did. He picked up my purse and jacket (he didn't want me carrying anything) and walked me up to the patient ward, checked me in and made sure I was being taken care of, then he drove to the hotel, located everything to pack my bags, paid the maid's tip, and brought my luggage back to me.
A lot of people talk about how impersonal or uncaring doctors are these days. Not mine! I will never forget his caring, kindness and compassion that day. (And, by the way, the supervisor I spoke to at the airline was equally compassionate -- he waived the $100 fee without a note from a physician and said to just get well and call them whenever I was ready to go home.)
Frances Fujii
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