REFLECTIONS : Have You Peaked ?
A
retired physician , to celebrate a festive occasion in the land of her birth , invited her old medical colleagues to a reunion party . Delicacies and decorations to represent her past graced her home . An old-world atmosphere pervaded .
In came her guests . All were in their 70s , 80s and 90s ! Distinguished looking , but rather slow , some with canes and a few rollators , they exuded confidence and contentment . Not having seen each other for nearly two decades , not since they were medical residents or faculty at the University of Louisville , emotional tears and joy accompanied embraces .
These personal meetings were followed by updating of the years
by TERESITA BACANI-OROPILLA , MD
in between : what they did in their eventual practices , how many and where were their children and grandchildren . They mourned the loss of a spouse or loved ones .
Then they reminisced on the days when they were together , when they were paid a pittance for their work , why they had a fourth meal ticket when they were on night call , that they did their own lab tests if they admitted a patient from the ER at night . They were on call every night for a month if assigned to Emergency . Yet they never complained because that was what doctors were supposed to do !
Interesting was the realization that these elderly people still had joy in their hearts , rich memories , yet looking forward to the future , theirs , and that of their offspring , and of the world around them .
When do people climbing the mountain of life consider they have peaked and stop in their tracks ? Or do they just continue step by step to see a wider view of how far they have come ?
Dr . Bacani-Oropilla is a retired pediatrician and psychiatrist .
On behalf of the Louisville Medicine Editorial Board and GLMS staff :
Congratulations Dr . Oropilla on achieving your 95 th birthday in 2024 ! You have been writing for Louisville Medicine for 37 of those years and have contributed around 400 Reflections pages . The staff and the members of the Editorial Board of Louisville Medicine want to express their warmest appreciation for the empathy , insight and pithy wisdom , gleaned from decades of both pediatric and psychiatric practice . We look forward to many more Reflections , and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts .
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