Monday, March 31, 2008

At A Crossroads


I am writing my entry to the blog carnival from Los Angeles. My 4 children are happily visiting their birth country after staying and studying for 2 years in the Philippines. This is just one of the many crossroads in my life.

Living a full life is similar to going on a journey. Medicine was never an end for me. Early on, I didn’t decide on becoming a surgeon or an obstetrician or an infectious diseases specialist. I decided I was going to begin living an autonomous life as soon as I graduated from medical school. I never bothered to apply for residency training in the Philippines because I could not bear the thought of continuing to depend on my parents for financial assistance after going to school for 22 straight years. It was America or bust.

I have always looked at challenges and adversity as opportunities for growth. The county hospital in Brooklyn, NY where I trained had more than a 90% AIDS caseload. Because there were very few US medical graduates willing to take the risk, I was able to receive superior medical preparation that enabled me to take on future challenges with confidence and competence. I trained at a time when we had to draw blood ourselves, wheel patients to x-ray, before the famous Bell Commission reduced the working hours of resident physicians--when it wouldn’t overly bother us to admit 12 patients on a call night and work 48 hours nonstop.

I look back and I am grateful. What would now be considered illegal and cruel punishment turned out to be a very effective way to acquire skills that would be very useful later.

After Brooklyn, private medical practice was a breeze. Because I entered the US on a J visa, I was required to “serve” a medically underserved area for 2 years. Guymon, Oklahoma with a population of 10,000 became home for more than 10 years. When I began, many patients would not even consider a “foreigner” to treat them. I know this because in the course of my stay, many of my patients would confess to this initial reluctance.

I never missed a Saturday clinic in 4 years. My home number was listed in the phone book and because I was available at all times, my wife and I would see up to 130 patients each day. It didn’t bother me that all that action in New York was so far away and that the nearest mall was 2 hours by car in Amarillo, Texas because I was looking towards another crossroads.

I grew up in the traumatic period of Martial Law. I still can’t understand how some people can long for the return of those days. It was terrible because the vast majority of us were afraid to fight for our freedom and dignity as human beings. Even then, I was painfully troubled by the horrible poverty that alienated and destroyed so many Filipino lives. I always dreamt of seeking my fortune elsewhere and return like the Count of Monte Cristo, vastly more prepared and equipped to help change a hopelessly corrupt system and way of life.

We doctors see a lot of dying in our business. This comes with the territory. We are reminded too often that at the end of our lives, it won’t be the amount of money we stashed in the bank, or the number of vehicles parked in our garage, or how many kids we put through Ivy-league institutions…. We should know better, that our brief lives will be measured by the service we dispense to the less-fortunate; and without a map and without a compass, this is what should guide each one of us through these crossroads.

10 comments:

Bonedoc said...

"We should know better, that our brief lives will be measured by the service we dispense to the less-fortunate; and without a map and without a compass, this is what should guide each one of us through these crossroads"

I would definitely agree with that conclusion!

Kudos to you Doc!

Anonymous said...

Interesting title. A crossroad is a place and a point in time where a choice has to be made. The choices confronting you are very clear. You know your priorities and you have prepared yourself for these crossroads. It is always difficult when children are affected by the decisions we make. And this may not be a crossroad for you anymore. I think that you have made up your mind to take the road less travelled. Good luck in your journey.

Anonymous said...

I follow your blog. I am a doctor too and had trained in the Philippines as a neurosurgeon and now in the US finishing my neuro-oncology fellowship. I have been offered to stay here as a senior staff but planning to go back to our country soon.

Are you going back to the US for good?

dr_clairebear said...

Thank you so much for participating in this week's edition of The Blog Rounds despite your hectic schedule. You can access the collation of all posts through this link. The image of a crossroads is an evocative one, especially for us doctors, who seem to choose our paths more often than most.

As someone who has barely begun the journey, i continue to be fraught with questions about where to train, where to practice, and whose needs to prioritize. at this point, i cannot help but give in to the instinct to survive, more than anything else.

I have chosen to leave for now - in order to see what it's like out there and not live with the "what ifs" if I do not. Whether or not this particular will lead me home still remains to be seen. No matter where this takes me, I pray I will end up sooner or later, where I am really meant to be.

Again, many thanks for participating and more power to you!

Curious Observer said...

"We are reminded too often that at the end of our lives, it won’t be the amount of money we stashed in the bank, or the number of vehicles parked in our garage, or how many kids we put through Ivy-league institutions…. We should know better, that our brief lives will be measured by the service we dispense to the less-fortunate"... Couldn't agree more. True words coming from a wise man.

Abner M. Hornedo, M.D. said...

dear dr. martin,

thanks for visiting my blog, sir! opo kamag-anak po namin si dr. florentino hornedo, pinsan buo sya ng tatay ko. tubong sabtang, batanes po sila.

mabuhay po kayo!

cheers!
abner

MerryCherry said...

" it won’t be the amount of money we stashed in the bank, or the number of vehicles parked in our garage, or how many kids we put through Ivy-league institutions…. We should know better, that our brief lives will be measured by the service we dispense to the less-fortunate; "

Totally agree Doc Martin. You may not remember me, but we met in MIND convention last May. I was the Dr To The Barrio who spoke there.

Idol kita :)

MerryCherry said...

Btw, will link you up Doc ha :)

dr tes said...

a heartwarming post, dr martin. i hope you can join the 4th rounds of the TBR, topic: the doctor as a patient. i hope that every pinoy MD would have the same love of country as you do. Mabuhay ka !

Anonymous said...

Hi Martin!
Thanks for this post. Very welcome, especially to people like us, constantly being badgered why we have come home.
Funny, when we talk of home, we're really only talking of one place, right?
Our kids have a similar "birthplace" but I hope when they think of "home" it will be where their hearts are.