Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings January 2014, Volume 27, Number 1 | Page 59

Roberts: Did you camp out
most trips?
Phillips: That was the only
trip we camped out. It rained and
that changed our minds forever
about camping. My mom burned
the tent. After that we stayed at a
Motel 6 or Holiday Inn. I always
hoped for a pool at the hotel.
Roberts: Was your home a
happy one? Lots of laughter and
not much arguing?
Phillips: It was a very happy
home. My parents are still married after 58 years (Figure 2). We
had a great home life, and I have a
Figure 1. Traveling as a child: (a) at the Blue Ridge Parkway and (b) in Texas with her brother Matt and father Dewayne,
great relationship with my brothapproximately 1970.
er. One interesting story: When
we finally got a television, the TV
Roberts: Was there much encouragement for you and your
show we liked in the 1970s was “Emergency.” It followed two
brother to do well in school, or did that just come naturally?
paramedics in Los Angeles, CA. It also included their experiPhillips: My mom wanted us to do well but she was cerences in a hospital setting that involved a couple of doctors
tainly not a “tiger mom.” I don’t remember her having to tell
and nurses at Rampart Memorial Hospital. My brother and
me to do my homework. I just did it.
I loved the show. We just had to watch it. I really liked when
Roberts: When did you realize you were smart?
the show transitioned back to the hospital. My brother liked
Phillips: That’s an interesting question because there was a
it when the paramedics were out doing the rescues. He is now
moment. In fourth grade in our science classroom, the teacher
a paramedic and a fireman! When he graduated from the fire
did an experiment in which she made a vacuum in a canister
academy, I sent him a card saying, “I knew Mom let us watch
which then crumpled from the air pressure. She asked why that
way too much ‘Emergency.’” Because of this show we made our
happened. I knew immediately why it happened. I wanted to
own defibrillator. Many of my dolls got defibrillated. We used
learn how the world worked.
an old diaper bag as our emergency medical bag and reenacted
Roberts: Did you have hobbies?
the scenes of “Emergency.”
Phillips: I did a lot of reading.
Roberts: When you were young, were you interested in mediRoberts: What did you like to read?
cine or becoming a physician?
Phillips: Anything and everything, mainly fiction, but I
Phillips: My mom was very curious about medical issues, and
wasn’t into science fiction.
her interest probably prompted my medical curiosity. Neither parent
Roberts: Did you read fast, several books a week?
Phillips: Yes. My mom was a big encourager of reading.
Even when we were little she was either reading to us or giving
us things to read. My mom saved Green Stamps and with them
got a set of Collier Encyclopedias. My brother read all of them,
starting with Volume A. Initially, I had no interest in doing that,
but I liked reading and learning about different worlds.
Roberts: Did you travel in your imagination?
Phillips: Yes. Even though they had limited means, my parents
considered vacations to be very important. Every year my dad
would take a week of vacation. It was an event. We planned this
time for weeks in advance. My brother and I were involved. We got
a map and studied where we would drive, what we would see, and
where we would stay. It was the greatest thing. We have albums and
albums of our travels in the US in an old Chevrolet (Figure 1).
Roberts: Where do you remember going?
Phillips: My mom once wanted to go to the Blue Ridge Parkway area in the Appalachian Mountains. I don’t remember which
state we were in, but I do remember camping out and getting rained Figure 2. With her parents, Dewayne and Carolyn Powers, at her medical school
on.
graduation.

a

January 2014

b

Sabrina Dean Phillips, MD: a conversation with the editor

57