I worked in a governmental hospital and a private clinic at the same time as my residency. They once brought a female to me with a bad hand injury. I examined her and ran an X-ray, but nothing serious was discovered. But the girl’s hand’s birth deformity really got my attention.
She could scarcely flex her hand, and her fingers were stiff. The girl’s parents complained that they couldn’t afford the surgery, and several doctors advised them that there was a minimal chance the problem could be fixed. I was quite interested in this situation, and I already had an idea of how to help the girl in my head.
A few days following the assessment, I requested that the girl’s parents bring her to my private clinic so that I could do the procedure, promising them that I would do it for free. They simply needed to pay for the subsequent cost of physiotherapy, but I had made arrangements for that with a friend who worked in the area. Given that they had been informed for a very long period that there was nothing that could be done for their child, the parents had some reservations regarding the operation’s outcome.
They consequently questioned me, “What guarantees do we have that our daughter won’t get worse?” She won’t learn to play the piano, for example, but after the operation and the subsequent training, she will be able to use her hand very confidently. Writing won’t be a difficulty because she’ll be able to hold a pencil.
However, the young child herself entered the discourse and asked, “Doctor, will I be able to draw? I aspire to become a wonderful artist. I smiled and told her that she would be able to accomplish that as well. The procedure was carried out when it was time and was a success.
The parents continued to take their young patient for physiotherapy after that. A year later, when they went back for a follow-up session, the girl gave me a sketch while beaming with happiness. She had scribbled “Thank you, Doctor!” in clumsy handwriting at the bottom of the paper, which featured a vibrant flower with multicolored petals. You know, I have never in my life been the recipient of more priceless gifts.
