A Patient Who Cried

One routine Monday morning, I came into Examination Room 5 to perform a full skin exam on Bob, the father of a young former patient I treated a decade ago for Morphea – a skin hardening condition. Prior to beginning, Bob thanked me for diagnosing his daughter’s condition, and I expressed my appreciation for his gratitude.

During the exam, we discovered a few suspicious moles, but thankfully, no skin cancers were detected. Nevertheless, he did request removal of a fatty skin deposit that had grown and become more painful, so my nurse scheduled him for that procedure.

At the conclusion of the appointment, I intended to rush out to see the next patient. However, before I could leave the examination room, Bob became noticeably emotional and began to cry, reiterating his thankfulness over my accurate diagnosis of his daughter’s condition. He also appreciated my referral to have his daughter treated at the Department of Dermatology at Seattle Children’s Hospital where she was put on methotrexate shots weekly (instead of pills, which she threw back up due to a reflux issue).

This appointment was a reminder to me and my staff that we must always do our best for our clients because of the possible long-term impact we can make in their lives.