It is easy to reflect on the many times my dad has given up a leisure Sunday to dash to the hospital to tend to an ailing patient or to drive around town checking on friends or relatives confined to bed. He has always made himself available to reassure, diagnose or offer advice.
When I was small, I took for granted the fact that I had a father who was revered by the outside world. Dad never talked much about himself or bragged about the latest celebrity flying across the ocean for a consultation with him. What he has termed “practicing the art of medicine” has always been of primary importance to him, and a key value to teach to the many Tufts medical students who have voted him their favorite teacher.
It was very fitting that my father was drawn to the Floating Hospital for Children. Twenty-seven years ago, I witnessed first hand the compassionate care of their staff. My husband, David and I brought our sick infant son, Jason to the Floating. A team of doctors led by Dr. Sidney Gellis used CAT scan equipment, which was cutting edge at the time, to find the infected bone inside our baby’s head. The doctors performed delicate surgery to drain the infection and kept him in the hospital on IV antibiotics for weeks.
During that time, my family received caring attention from interns, nurses, medical students and experienced physicians. It was a degree of kindness and expertise that we will never forget. We are so pleased to be able to honor our Dad and Papa as well as a very fine medical center.
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