A Physician in the Finest Tradition

After spending a few hours with my parents’ yesterday morning, I returned home just as my cell phone and the house phone began to ring simultaneously. I picked up the house phone first. It was my mother. I immediately brought the cell phone to my other ear. It was my sister. Two calls, one subject. They both wanted me to know that my parents’ family doctor had suffered a stroke at his office a few days earlier and would have to close his medical practice.

The news was devastating. Dr. Roberts always seemed as much a friend as a physician. He was so patient with his patients, most of whom were elderly and, presumably, on Medicare. For years, he took off one day each week to treat the elderly at a local nursing home. Many doctors avoid taking on elderly and Medicare patients because the government restricts their fees and many elderly folks require a greater level of attention to their personal needs and questions, but Dr. Roberts was exceptional.

At 57, Dr. Roberts seemed the picture of good health. Lean and tan, you had the feeling that he kept himself in excellent shape, both physically and spiritually.

It’s troubling to know that Dr. Roberts won’t have the same high quality of care that my parents have had over the last few years, because he can’t treat himself. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to treat my parents anymore, either.

It grieves me to speak of Dr. Roberts in the past tense, because the stroke didn’t kill him, at least not all of him. Strokes afflict about 500,000 people every year, killing about 160,000 and disabling about 200,000 others. I don’t know how severe Dr. Roberts’ stroke was and to what extent he may have been disabled. Since both of my parents have suffered strokes in the last few years, I know that the aftermath isn’t limited to diminished physical strength or mental clarity. It can be heartbreaking when personalities change, as well.

I pray that Dr. Roberts has an exceptional recovery, unhindered by physical or mental impairment, or any loss of the good humor and empathy that made him such an incredible physician. I pray that he’ll have many more years in retirement to enjoy his family.

If you’ve read this far, then I hope you’ll take a few moments more and offer a quick prayer of your own for Gary Roberts, a man who made a tremendous difference in helping so many families in his community.