Trip Report
And May Its Bright Spirit Be With You Tonight

by MH2
Friday June 30, 2017 6:52pm
It's fun to get out.



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And to meet people.
A kind-hearted generous soul met in Camp 4


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Steve was born in Bulgaria and moved to Florida and then to Vancouver.


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A story from Steve.


His mother had open-heart surgery in Florida to fix an aortic valve.

In the time that followed the operation, Steve felt the need to express his thanks to the surgeon.

His mother still lives in Florida but Steve was in Vancouver.

He spent months thinking about whether he should contact the surgeon and how to do that and what he wanted to say.

His mother had been 64 and fit and active and at first had refused the operation. Steve says that the surgeon spent 6 months patiently and gently convincing his mother of the need for the procedure.

Finally, Steve took time off from work to compose a letter. He e-mailed it to the surgeon.



(Listening to his story today I was remembering my own time passing instruments in the OR. I thought of surgeons as often having a good sense of humor, but busy people who do the same procedures over and over and as long as nothing goes wrong don’t take much interest in any particular case.)


Steve said that 20 minutes after sending the letter to the surgeon he got a reply.

The doctor was in Vancouver with his family for a visit and was grateful for the thank-you and would like to meet Steve. Steve got to meet the surgeon and his family and say thank-you in person.



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  Trip Report Views: 1,499
MH2
About the Author
MH2 is a climber from .

Comments
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
  Jun 30, 2017 - 07:47pm PT
How Awesome!
Ward Trotter

Trad climber
  Jun 30, 2017 - 07:52pm PT
Good stuff MH2.
MH2

Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
Author's Reply  Jul 1, 2017 - 01:48pm PT
The theory goes:

The kind of energy you put into the Universe is the kind you will get back.
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
  Jul 1, 2017 - 03:08pm PT
Thanks for that "heart-rending" story, Andy.

I had a valve replaced by a surgeon who wasn't that cool at one-on-one physical exams (a resident) at Palo Alto,
though he was considered a real hot-shot in the OR.

He got thanks, but I'd have done well to let him know later what I thought of his interpersonal manner.

It's far too late now, however.

I'm glad Steve took the opportunity.

People like to be thanked, even for the smallest things, and it costs us nothing while gaining friendship.

The theory is:
If you fail to criticize, things don't improve.
MH2

Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
Author's Reply  Jul 1, 2017 - 08:19pm PT
She was 93 at the time. Super awesome stuff.


That may be beyond super awesome.

There is a bit of a question as to how a scarce resource like OR time should be distributed. In Canada the first, last, and only question is not, "Can you pay for it?" The progressive view is that advanced age should not make a person ineligible for an operation, but you can be sure it is taken into consideration.


As a nursing student I heard an anaesthetist at St. Paul's ask the surgeon why an 80 year-old guy was getting a second bypass operation. The answer was,


"Because he has a strong heart."
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