Miracles We Have Seen

by Harley Rotbart

  A Dramatic Cure Leads to Many More Michael S. Kappy, Harley A. Rotbart

  Many years ago, this young man’s paralysis prevented him from breathing. It was long before ventilator machines that could save his life were developed. At the time, the “iron lung” was a device of desperation, a last hope. His cure was one miracle. His contributions afterward created many more.

  Chapter 10. DIFFICULT DECISIONS

  Choosing to Celebrate Lia Gore

  When an eleven-year-old girl’s spinal mass recurred despite receiving the most aggressive therapy available, she and her family had to make the most important choice they would ever face.

  A Source of Light and Love Daniel Hyman

  A typically fatal genetic defect forced this family into a corner when their baby developed severe respiratory distress, the potential end-of-life event they had been told to anticipate.

  An Impossible Pregnancy Debra Gussman

  A young woman with recurrent ectopic “tubal” pregnancies was left surgically sterile after painful decisions to remove both of her fallopian tubes to save her life. There was no biological possibility of a future normal pregnancy.

  The Miracle of Good Information Philip L. Glick

  The diagnosis of a large tumor in a baby still in the womb resulted in uninformed advice, corrected just in time and in the unlikeliest of ways. Thirteen years later, the miracle was on full display.

  The Doctor-Patient Bond Ann Schongalla

  A schizophrenic patient, debilitated by his disease and the side effects of his medications, suddenly appeared “cured,” posing an unusual challenge and presenting a unique quandary to his psychiatrist.

  Ski’s Legs Bauer Sumpio

  A seventy-two-year-old man had severe blood vessel disease throughout his body, including nearly complete loss of blood circulation to his legs. When one of his legs developed an infection that wouldn’t heal, it was clear he needed amputation.

  A Family’s Prayers Sandra L. Friedman

  A seventeen-year-old girl with profound intellectual disability and cerebral palsy couldn’t speak or walk, yet was a vital and beloved member of her family. When unrecognized pneumonia led to shock and organ failure, it appeared she had suffered near brain death due to lack of oxygen.

  Don’t Feel Sorry for Samuel Stephen Ludwig

  After losing a previous child in infancy to a genetic bone disease, these parents were horrified to learn their unborn baby was afflicted with the same lethal condition. That was just the beginning of the difficult decisions they would have to make.

  Chapter 11. SILVER LININGS

  The Miracle of a Single Question Andrew Sirotnak

  A lethal birth defect left a family and physicians devastated until the right question was asked. Many years later, the same question still has healing power.

  The Miracle of Purpose Dale S. Adler

  A woman with terminal heart and kidney failure should have died years before. But there was a special family event she could not bear to miss.

  The Thin Line Between Miracle and Tragedy Robert J. Buys

  A mission to the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific occurred just in time to save an islander’s only eye. But what happened to the surgeon was even more miraculous.

  Redeemed Bruce Reidenberg

  A baby with AIDS, in the days before approved therapy was available, was virtually abandoned by his mother at the hospital. As he neared death, his mother found herself—and her purpose.

  The Tears We Shared Clara Escuder

  Losing a baby in infancy is an unimaginable tragedy for a family, but it deeply affects the caregivers as well. The impact of a caregiver’s grief may be felt for years.

  A Child’s View Edward J. Goldson

  A big sister’s reaction to her new baby brother’s horrific physical deformity was both gut-wrenching and heartwarming, and taught all who heard it a powerful lesson.

  The Miracle of Resilience Simon J. Hambidge

  Parents devastated by the unexplained and incurable illness of their son raised the boy’s sisters with a remarkable spirit of resilience. This allowed them all to truly celebrate his memory and inspired one of his sisters toward a noble life goal.

  The Miracle of Forgiveness Harvey Guttmann

  This physician relives the personal tragedy of a patient whose life was altered, and ultimately shortened, by a procedure he had performed. The patient’s unwavering forgiveness, and the remarkable bond that formed between them, proved to be redeeming for physician and patient alike.

  A Child’s Insight David Keller

  An adolescent with cerebral palsy, seemingly completely dependent on his mother, showed wisdom beyond his years in recognizing his mother’s depression and addiction, and helping guide her to finding help.

  Feeling His Pain Jeffrey S. Hyams

  The fourteen-year-old boy in his office had gastrointestinal symptoms all too familiar to this specialist, reminding him to be ever-conscious of how very human we all are.

  The Miracles of Grace and Patience Kathleen M. Gutierrez

  After more than a dozen major surgeries to correct a serious birth defect, a rare and mysterious infection made the birth defect seem like the least of this young boy’s problems.

  Unequal Twins Edward J. Goldson

  Premature twins, a boy and a girl, took very different clinical paths after birth. The boy’s rough course was even rougher for his father.

  Maybe Justin Will Be Different Jeffrey S. Hyams

  A three-year-old child lost more than 90 percent of his intestine due to complications of a birth abnormality, making his chances of meaningful survival nearly impossible.

  My First Patient Robert J. Buys

  A twenty-four-year-old woman had her eyesight taken from her by the ravages of diabetes. When she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, she couldn’t see her new son at all. One eye was so diseased it had to be removed entirely, and she was totally blind in her remaining eye.

  Thirty-Six Michael D. Lockshin

  Devastated by a disease that took her youth, her heart, her kidneys, and ultimately her life, this young woman demonstrated an inner goodness that may have been shared by only a few others of her day.

  Chapter 12. BACK TO THE BEGINNING

  A Doctor’s Work: The Miracle of Professional Transformation Carol L. Storey-Johnson

  Before a doctor can be entrusted with the care of patients, he or she must first make the critical transition to professionalism. That may be easier said than done.

  EPILOGUE

  One hundred percent of net author proceeds from advances and royalties resulting from the sales of this book will be divided among, and distributed to, more than sixty-five worthy charities designated by the physicians contributing essays to this book. The full listing of charities appears in this section.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  First and foremost, I am grateful to my patients and to the patients of the other physician-essayists in this volume. It is through our patients’ perseverance and courage, and the trust they and their families have placed in us, that we were privileged to witness the remarkable events described in this book.

  Next, my profound gratitude to my esteemed colleagues who graciously shared their most moving and meaningful experiences with me and allowed me to share them with you. The commitment these physicians felt when caring for their most challenging patients, many of whom had dire prognoses, was rewarded with the wonderment those same physicians felt when the outcomes didn’t match the predictions. The ability of my colleagues to express both their commitment and their wonderment is what has made this book the achievement that it is. I am also grateful to them for entrusting me to fine-tune their essays and for working so closely with me, often through multiple drafts and phone calls, to find the right words to describe their e
xperiences and express their feelings so sensitively and thoughtfully.

  On the practical side, books don’t become books without special people behind the scenes. I am very grateful to my literary agent and friend, Lisa Leshne (The Leshne Agency), who has believed in me since the beginning of our work together years ago. My editor at HCI Books, Christine Belleris, and I found a close connection from the very beginning stages of this book, and that connection has only deepened with time as we have worked together to compile this finished product. Thanks also to the fine team at HCI for bringing this book to fruition, including Kim Weiss, Larissa Henoch, Lawna Patterson Oldfield, and Mary Ellen Hettinger. I’m grateful to the following people for their energy and their generosity of spirit in helping with everything from individual essays to the entire project: Deirdre Smerillo, Jamie Kalikow, Jenny Watson Willits, Katie Goodwin, Kristin Connor, Ludmila Kuhilin, Josh Barney, Linda Kamateh, Lindee Donahue, Evan Dechtman, Marlize Scheider, Michael Ferlazzo, Michael Rofe, David Meketon, Jerry Topczewski, Kim Griffith, Winifred King, Denise Nazzaro, Dr. David Elpern, Dr. William Woods, Dr. Mark Ratain, Dr. Tom Howard, Dr. Spencer Kubo, and Dr. Stephen Daniels.

  Finally, my deepest thanks to my mom, my late dad, my wife’s parents, and the rest of my family and friends who have been miraculous in the love and support they have shown me.

  H. A. R.

  CONTRIBUTORS

  Kenneth G. Adams, MD, Senior Cardiologist and Medical Director, Pentucket Medical Associates, Haverhill, Massachusetts

  David Addiss, MD, MPH, Director, Children Without Worms, Task Force for Global Health; Adjunct Professor, Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Adjunct Professor, Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana

  Dale S. Adler, MD, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Executive Vice Chair, Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

  Philip S. Barie, MD, MBA, Master CCM, Professor of Surgery, Professor of Public Health in Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY

  Trevor J. Bayliss, MD, Hematologist-Oncologist, Berkshire Medical Center

  Meredith Belber, MD, Internal Medicine, Corporate Health and Immediate Care Physician, Northwestern Medical Group

  Joann N. Bodurtha, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics and Oncology, McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

  Denise Bratcher, DO, Professor of Pediatrics, Director, Pediatric Residency Program; University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine and Children’s Mercy Hospital

  Robert J. Buys, MD, Ophthalmologist, Oregon Health Sciences University, Kaiser Permanente

  Mark F. Cotton, MMed (Paed), PhD, Professor, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Children’s Hospital, Children’s Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cape Town, South Africa

  Claudette Dalton, MD, Assistant Dean Emeritus, University of Virginia School of Medicine; former Chair, American Medical Association Council on Medical Education

  Kay Daniels, MD, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine

  Clara Escuder, MD, Pediatrician and Integrative Medicine Specialist, York, Pennsylvania

  Kathleen Farrell, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine and Children’s Mercy Hospital

  Michael Fleischer, MD, Obstetrician-Gynecologist; Chairman, Boca Raton Regional Hospital

  Sandra L. Friedman, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics, Section Head, Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado

  Jeremy Garrett, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care Medicine; St. Louis University School of Medicine at SSM Health–Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital

  Bradley A. George, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

  Philip L. Glick, MD, MBA, Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Management of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and School of Management, State University of New York at Buffalo; Vice Chairman for Finance, Department of Surgery

  Mary P. Glode, MD, Professor and Vice Chair Emerita of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado; former Section Head, Infectious Diseases

  Edward J. Goldson, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado

  Lia Gore, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Medical Oncology and Hematology, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Chief, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant; The Robert J. and Kathleen A. Clark and Ergen Family Endowed Chairs, Children’s Hospital Colorado

  Debra Gussman, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Meridian Health, Jersey Shore University Medical Center

  M. Kathleen Gutierrez, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics Emerita, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital/Stanford University School of Medicine

  Harvey Guttmann, MD, Chief of Gastroenterology, Abington Memorial Hospital; President of Gastrointestinal Associates, Inc.

  Simon J. Hambidge, MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Professor of Epidemiology, University of Colorado School of Public Health; Chief Ambulatory Care Officer, Denver Health

  Fred M. Henretig, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Attending Physician and Senior Toxicologist, Division of Emergency Medicine and The Poison Control Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

  Joanne M. Hilden, MD, Professor and Associate Section Head, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Medical Director, Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Children’s Hospital Colorado

  Benjamin Honigman, MD, Professor and Founding Chair of Emergency Medicine; Associate Dean, Clinical Outreach, University of Colorado School of Medicine

  Jeffrey S. Hyams, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine; Head, Division of Digestive Diseases, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center

  Daniel Hyman, MD, MMM, Associate Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer, Children’s Hospital Colorado

  Mary Anne Jackson, MD, Professor and Associate Chair of Community and Regional Pediatric Collaboration, University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine and Children’s Mercy Hospital & Clinics; Director, Division of Infectious Diseases

  Richard Jacobs, MD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Pediatrics; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute

  Richard Johnston Jr., MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Dean for Research Development, University of Colorado School of Medicine; former Chairman of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; former Medical Director, March of Dimes

  Ryan Jones, MD, Resident Physician, Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern

  Michael S. Kappy, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado

  Celia Kaye, MD, PhD, Professor Emerita of Pediatrics and former Senior Associate Dean for Education, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Professor Emerita of Pediatrics and former Chair of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

  David Keller, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs and Clinical Transformation, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado

  David Kimberlin, MD, Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical and Tra
nslational Research, Co-Director, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Director, Collaborative Antiviral Study Group, National Institutes of Health

  Richard D. Krugman, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, former Vice Chancellor and Dean, University of Colorado School of Medicine

  Richard L. Lambert, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Temple University School of Medicine; Director, Pediatric Sedation Service, Associate Director, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at Geisinger Health System

  Barbara Laughton, MBChB, DCH, MSc, Developmental Pediatrician, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Children’s Hospital, Children’s Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cape Town, South Africa

  Michael D. Lockshin, MD, Professor of Medicine and Obstetrics-Gyne-cology, Weill Cornell Medicine; Director, Barbara Volcker Center, Hospital for Special Surgery; formerly Acting Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health

  Stephen Ludwig, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine; Medical Director, International Medical Education, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

  Frank Maffei, MD, Vice Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Medical Director, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at Geisinger Health System; Temple University School of Medicine

  Matthew Metz, MD, Chief, Bariatric Surgery, Parker Adventist Hospital

  John W. Ogle, MD, Professor and Vice Chair Emeritus of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine; former Director of Pediatrics, Denver Health

  Matthew Old, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology (Head and Neck Surgery), Ohio State University, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute

  David M. Polaner, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics, Director of Pediatric Transplant Anesthesia, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado