By Dr. Ram Prakash Thirugnanasambandam
“Is it true that my entire immune system will be gone?” the patient asked.
“Yes, it is true,” the attending said. “But we will be there throughout the process with you and make sure we fight off every possible infection we find.”
I was on an adult bone marrow (stem cell) transplant elective at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), and yet again, I was witnessing the sort of conversation most of the MSK patients had with the team every single day.
By Dr. Jairo Noreña
My journey started in Colombia, my home country, where I attended medical school. After getting my medical degree, I had the opportunity to work with underserved communities. I had to do a lot with little and I came to understand the impact of social disparities on health. The reality of the meager resources available in this environment necessitated that the resourcefulness of physicians was the primary tool to achieve optimal patient care. This experience shaped me into an innovator in the field of medicine. I could not have gotten where I am today without being different and thinking outside the box. I would like to share three moments in my career where this proved true.
By Dr. Mythri Anil Kumar
It is a common refrain that “things get better.” I now strongly believe that is true, but I didn’t always. I went through many ups and downs on my journey in medicine, such as dealing with homesickness, weathering professional and personal hardships, and trying to make good impressions and forge meaningful connections as an introvert. I navigated all of this before I understood that of course things will always, eventually get better—because when you are at your lowest, there is only one way to go: up.
By Dr. Om Parkash
Since the beginning of the 21st century, palliative care has emerged as a prominent aspect of medicine. Palliative care focuses mostly on improving the quality of life in severely ill patients, but it also involves comfort-based care for terminally ill patients. Despite increased awareness of palliative care among health care providers, decisions made in respect to end-of-life treatment are often difficult because they can be subjective.
By Dr. Muhammad Ismail Khalid Yousaf
“Did you see any COVID-19 patients today?” my wife nervously asked as I entered our home. I was clad in an N-95 mask for the first time. “Not yet” I replied.
My mask and her concerns were well-warranted; we were about to be first-time parents, and she was in her last trimester. Our relatives and friends would routinely ask, “When is your gift from God coming?” and we always cautiously replied, “Anytime now, just pray—you know how times are….”
Continue reading “Fear, Prayer, and the Unknown: First-time Parenthood in a Pandemic”
