“ If my experience with
Bud taught me anything , it was to listen to your gut , and never be afraid to insist on your beliefs .”
ACCEPTANCE DAY Family members say the day Bud learned of his acceptance to UC San Diego School of Medicine was the happiest day of his life . to share a beer with a friend . I told him I needed to talk — I was coming over with a couple cold ones . He agreed .
At Bud ’ s apartment , we sipped our beer and Bud told me more about his mother ’ s death . Finally , I looked him in the eye and asked him , “ Bud , do you have Marfan ’ s ?” He looked down to the ground and said , “ Yeah .” In addition to the beers , I brought over my black bag with my stethoscope and blood pressure cuff . I told him I was not leaving until I checked him over .
When I listened to his chest , there was a loud murmur even a third-year medical student could not miss . There was also a significant difference in blood pressure between his two arms . I checked it three times then told Bud I was convinced he was having a dissecting aneurysm , the exact thing that had killed his mother . Bud grabbed his sweatshirt , and the two of us jumped into my VW bug and took off for the ER .
But it was too late .
I HAD RESTLESS NIGHTS FOR MONTHS after his death . I questioned myself : Why had I not taken Bud ’ s symptoms more seriously earlier ? Would he be alive today if I had done something different ?
Months later , I would use this tragic experience on my general surgery rotation at Naval Medical Center San Diego . A marine recruit was brought into the ER one afternoon complaining of abdominal pain that went up his chest . When I heard this , I tagged along with the junior resident surgeon , who did an abdominal exam but was convinced there was nothing wrong . I saw the guy was tall and lanky like Bud , and when the resident went out to answer a page , I stayed and listened to his heart . I heard that same murmur , and again felt a difference in the pulse of his arms .
When the attending surgeon arrived , he asked what I thought . I told him about Marfan ’ s Syndrome and how I thought he was having a dissecting aneurysm and that he needed an aortogram . He raised his eyebrows and sighed . The resident returned from his page , and the attending asked if he agreed with me .
The resident only said , “ This guy has a benign abdomen and needs to go back to boot camp .”
But I spoke up , and explained my experience with Bud . We all went back into the patient ’ s room , where the attending surgeon listened to his heart as he checked one arm ’ s pulse and then the other . He looked up at me and said , “ I believe you might be right .”
We operated on him that night . If my experience with Bud taught me anything , it was to listen to your gut , and never be afraid to insist on your beliefs . I slept more soundly after that day .
In 1991 , a large number of our classmates gathered in La Jolla for our 10th year medical class reunion . It was quite a celebration , as most of us had not seen each other since graduation . After dinner , about a dozen of us sat around a table talking and sharing memories , and it soon became obvious that all of our best stories included Bud . He had touched each of our lives with his spirit , tenacity , generosity and kindness , and we were all just then recognizing how much he taught us .
We felt a need to keep his memory alive , so we decided that evening to start the Bud Whipple Memorial Endowed Scholarship , which has since supported 21 students who , like Bud , have grown through adversity and displayed outstanding character and kindness in their work . That they should share in his spirit is solace to the world that lost him .
Bud ’ s life was short , but well lived . And thankfully , it lives on still .
Bud ’ s memory carries on in the scholarship of medical students who show outstanding character and kindness in the face of adversity .
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