Indexing Title:  HABalucating 06-09

MAR Title: My small, big role

Date of Medical Observation: September 2006

Narration:           

            In one of my duties at the Emergency Room, I received a 52-year-old male patient who sustained a through and through gunshot injury at his left thigh.  The patient was stable and only required debridement of his wound, tetanus prophylaxis and IV antibiotics.

Apparently, the patient was the head of traffic management team at Baywalk area.  It was no surprise that several of his men came at the ER either to check him out or show their concern to their wounded leader.

I was surprised to see one of the civilian recruits.  He was one of our patients in the ward who underwent emergency thoracotomy for his stabwound.  He approached me and introduced me to his group. 

“Si Dr. Balucating, isa sya sa nagbigay ng second life ko…”

It was an embarrassing situation for me because of the fact that I wasn’t the one who operated or inserted a chest tube on him at the ER.  However, I was one of the duty team who attended on him at the ER and made daily ward rounds.

I remembered him as he was rushed in at the ER with stabwound.  He was one of those persons who roam around and live in the street.   

After the operation, he stayed long at the ward waiting for his relatives to take him out of the hospital because he had no place to go after the discharge.

After the long waiting and disappointment, he decided to just live the hospital on his own.  He bid his farewell to me and told me he will never forget us for giving him a chance to live again and straighten his path.

Insights (Stimulus, Discovery, Reinforcement)  (Physical, Psychosocial, Ethical)           

We are remembered on how we touched other people’s lives…

I believe that a doctor can touch other people’s lives in so many ways… as a healer, a teacher, a leader, an inspiration or a source of strength.

I think that in my own little way, I gave this person with almost no future a will to live again and change his path for a better life.