Tall, Dark, and Handsome

Today, I got to shadow Dr. Richard and then I worked with Rabbi Abie later in the afternoon. It was a particularly empowering experience for me as that day as I saw the importance of care and attention to detail. At the same time, I observed multiple cases of people suffering because whoever was responsible for their healthcare handled their work carelessly.

With Dr. Richard, I saw a man who was on a very strong pain reliever that produced large doses of cortisol in the body. However, the problem was that he was on the drug for so long we feared his adrenal gland was compromised because it had not been functional for a long time. It was such a great learning experience seeing Dr. Richard perform all sorts of diagnostic tests and from there explain to detail why whatever he said was so. Another interesting trend of the day was seeing how the patients just sat there with smiles on their faces as the doctors took their time to explain different things to us, mid-diagnosis. It was such an exemplary expression of patience, which, to me, is one of the most underrated virtues. This also made me very grateful to the Guatemalan people because they really were the true reason for the knowledge I gained.

Later in the day, I was working at glasses and I had a particularly emotional experience with a 96-year-old woman who was probably about 5 feet tall. She had less than 20/125 vision and could barely see a thing! After trying countless glasses to no avail we were at the point of giving up when I handed her the last pair and asked “mejor o peor?” then she replied “ooooo, PERFECTO!” The expression on her face made me remember my brother’s first words when he got his glasses; he said “is this what the world really looks like?” It was such a touching moment for me and it was that day I remembered how hard it is to fight back tears. I then stood up from the chair I was sitting in and then she realized I was about 6’3 and then she said “ahhhh, alto, Moreno y guapo!” meaning “tall, dark and handsome”. Wow, this 96-year-old woman just made my day!