DOCTORS’ LOUNGE
(continued from page 35)
Is it rape? Women have been raped in
every army, in every war, in every era. But
military rapists get away with it better. Their
victims are often outranked, and thus feel
powerless in their actual units, even if the
official Pentagon dogma is that those who
report rape will be supported at every step,
with a full investigation. Those who report
a rape later report losing their identities in
their platoon or squadron, being treated
as traitors or sissies, losing the respect and
friendship of the men who serve alongside
them, and being shut out and harassed in
ways that make their daily lives hellish. The
Pentagon estimates that 1 in 10 servicewomen has been raped, and that 13 percent have
been sexually assaulted in some way. Having
been raped, and having been treated for
PTSD, are factors much more common in
female veterans who attempt or complete
suicide than in other female veterans.
cumbersome everything-in-triplicate dinosaur that is still our VA medical system.
The entrenched bureaucracy of rules and
regulators is a nightmare for doctors too.
Women can fill more combat roles than
ever before. Women who qualify do get the
job way more often in the military world
than the civilian. Yet women who have
survived roadside bombs in infantry units,
flown combat missions, worked feverishly
under fire as medics to save their buddies –
volunteers all – cannot get basic health care
without a fight. What’s more, it is the most
soul-killing of fights, a war of waiting and
phone calls and paperwork and obstacles,
whose eternal message is, “You don’t matter.”
But it should never, ever be a nightmare for patients, especially our women
who are feeling abandoned, in despair, and
own guns. Thinking patriotic thoughts on
Veterans’ Day is nice, but what our women
need is action, and a President who will put
women first – for once.
I have yet to hear any candidate propose
a reasonable and effective solution to the
Dr. Barry practices Internal Medicine with
Norton Community Medical Associates-Barret. She is a clinical associate professor at the
University of Louisville School of Medicine,
Department of Medicine.
THE PARABLE OF TWO
DOCTORS
Frank G. Simon, MD
O
nce there were twin boys named John and Tom. As soon as
they were old enough to go to school, their parents taught
them that studying was very important. They both did
well academically and finally ended up in medical school where
they both graduated with honors. After finishing fellowships, they
joined a large practice and again they were both very successful.
They both jogged, ate fruits and vegetables, but no red meat.
Then, one day something unusual happened. John had a patient
with a mass in his abdomen. The biopsy showed cancer, probably of
the pancreas. A PET scan confirmed carcinomatosis. It was John’s
job to tell the patient. When John told him that he had terminal
cancer, the man did not seem to be upset. In fact, he was so calm
that John finally asked him why he was so calm. The man picked
up his Bible which was at his side and said, “I am trusting in Jesus
and when I leave here, I am going to a better place.”
John thought about what his patient had told him for some time,
but eventually he forgot about it. After all he had been taught that
only uneducated people believe in God. Besides that, sin is just an
old, outdated idea.
John told his brother Tom about his unusual patient. Tom was
interested and went to hear the story for himself. Tom said to
himself, this man may be going to a better place, but I will go to a
worse place. Some day I will go out into eternity and stand before
my Maker. On that day, it will not really matter how many degrees
I have or how much money I have. If I don’t have what this man
has, I will have missed everything. Tom realized that there are only
two paths through this life. One is “My Way,” the other is “His Way.”
The farther we walk down “My Way” the harder it becomes and life
has less and less meaning. “His Way” may have some difficulties,
but it is the way of joy and peace of mind and purpose and calling.
Tom remembered the words of an old song he had heard as a child:
“Ere you left your house this morning, did you stop to pray? Did
you ask the Lord to help you, keep you safe throughout the day?”
When we walk in “His Way” there is always a Friend who walks
with us and guides us through the hard spots. We’ll always have the
One who said, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” the One who
said, “Come unto Me, all of you who are weary and heavy laden,
and I will give