Getting to "know" a patient

I had taken care of a gentleman for about 5 years at Stanford Medical Group. He had suffered an injury at work and suffered quadriplegia. Over the years, I had seen him many times in the office. He had heart failure, urinary infections, pneumonia, and multiple decubitus ulcers. However, each of those visits were always focused on addressing the most pressing issues that he faced, and we never had the time to really talk about his life outside of medical concerns.

When he came to see me at Beyond Basics, I planned two hours with him for the intake visit even though I had "known" him for years. It was then that I found out his partner left him with an infant and a toddler four months after his injury, and that he is bravely raising these two boys with love and determination with amazing amount of support from his brothers. I had never seen this side of him before, and it brought about a new level of connection between us. I am grateful to have the opportunity to really to get to know him as a person; the way Medicine should be.