Testimonials

“Dear Doctor,
“You may know me as BZ 6490, or CE1234, or anyone of those innumerable faceless numbers that you treat everyday. The nature of your work and the sheer numbers you deal with, makes it impractical and impossible sometimes, for you to look beyond that number. 

“But to me, you are more than a name. You are more than a machine, which delivers a fixed solution to a fixed problem. You hold lives in your hands, not just mine, the patient’s, but the lives of my closest friends and family too…people you have never met, people you may never meet, but people whose lives mean more to me than my own. Your words and actions have ramifications that are huge. A pause here, a look there, a reassuring phrase here, a clear explanation there -­‐   each of these minute things get amplified a billion times in the patient’s mind as he clings to these minute flickering candles as he tries to navigate the pitch dark, confusing and disorienting path that he finds himself in, almost overnight. It amazes me that you bear such weight on your shoulders, everyday. It amazes me, that you come in to work everyday, sacrificing your peace of mind, steeling yourself to do the best you can in what can be depressing scenarios, delivering every day amidst what I can only imagine to be an incredibly emotionally draining atmosphere. But you do it. 

For me, dealing with the disease feels like a nightmare that I am desperately trying to wake up from. But you choose to be in that nightmare, you choose to not shield yourself from the harshest and cruelest twists that fate plays on your fellow human. You choose to be there for them in that time of need, and you choose to help them. And for that, I salute you, dear doctor. I salute your selflessness, I salute your courage and I salute your kindness. Amidst all the emotional turmoil that the patient faces, I expect that you often do not even get to hear a word of thanks. But please, do understand that, its only human nature for people to lose themselves in their situation, especially such a serious one.
And it is this realisation that has prompted me to write this to you before I get caught up in the challenges of recovery and dealing with post-­‐treatment changes. I know that each one of those people you have helped through the years appreciates what you did for them immensely. On behalf of them, I thank you. I thank you, for everything that you do, expecting no reward but the satisfaction of a job well done. 

You were patient, helpful, kind and considerate. You answered all my countless questions, you respected my need for information, and I thank you for that. Despite your busy schedule, you made time to make sure that dealing with this was made just a little easier for me. As I face treatment, I feel confident that I am in good hands. I thank you for inspiring that confidence in me, which has helped me a lot in coping with all this.
But most of all, I want to thank you for doing what you are doing, not just for me today, but also for those countless others everyday. Yours truly is a selfless profession and you should feel proud at the impact you have on the world and the sacrifices you make everyday, almost without realising it yourself. Take care.
Regards,
Just another patient. “