A message from our Editor > Don H.Gaede, MD
Physician Empathy I’d like to thank all the physicians who submitted articles for our first writing contest. The articles were all a pleasure to read, and choosing the winner was not an easy task. I’ve sometimes heard it said that while we physicians may be intelligent and educated, we also tend to be a bit cold, lacking in empathy, and perhaps focused too much on making money. But the submissions argue against that perception. Almost all of the articles seemed to come from deep in the emotional cores of these doctors, who spoke about patients and loved ones that moved them, often in unexpected ways. Here a are a few quotes that I found particularly intriguing: ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Gaede, a Fresno native, is board-certified in Internal Medicine and specializes in Vascular Medicine, with an expertise in the treatment of varicose veins, circulation problems, blood clots, and advanced techniques using ultrasound and sclerotherapy.
“My father’s hands. Big, gentle, gracious, useful. Just like the person.”
“His left elbow was limp, so he’d use his shoulder to swing his left hand up to the table where he could finger-walk his hand around to maneuver his cards.”
“He is a homeless alcoholic with an equal amount of ascites and denial.”
“There is something about a patient dying that makes you rethink every step you took in their care. Did I try hard enough? Did I do enough? Did I make a difference?”’ “In that moment, Roy transformed in my eyes from an old man on the street to some kind of selfless hero.” After careful review, our panel of judges decided that the winning author would be Dr. Farah Karipineni. Congratulations! Her moving and timely article is featured on page 18. The other submissions were also excellent, so I hope to run some of the them in subsequent editions of Central Valley Physician.
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CENTRAL VALLEY PHYSICIANS
Spring 2018