310 Interacting with Their Patients
Yet despite their disparate outcomes, they all left me with countless
gifts—legacies and lessons. In their memory, I wish to pass these on, so
that others may learn from them, too.
In the end, all of us—including doctors—will one day be patients. We
may not want to fully realize or acknowledge that fact—to do so chal-
lenges our denial of death. But such realizations can go a long way in
narrowing the widening chasms in our lives.
Not all doctors are, or will soon be, patients. But those who have been
seriously ill themselves can inspire and teach others. Through their pain,
these men and women arrived, often without seeking to, at insights that
can potentially benefit us all—whether as providers, patients, family
members, or combinations of these. I hope that through their words,
each of us may eventually conclude, as did Jennifer: ‘‘My eyes were com-
pletely opened.’’