I once heard someone say they wanted to “make the
unbearable, bearable”. These words deeply resonated with me not only because of
what I have seen and experienced through my years in medicine and on the
mission field, but also with the death of my father. Watching the compassion
and caring of the hospice team allowed me to experience how they made “the
unbearable, bearable” for my father and my family. These words are now real to
me because they have become personal.
Do you realize that in caring for your patients you are
doing the same? They come to you sick, frightened, and vulnerable, often not
knowing how much longer they can endure. They seek relief from what has become
“unbearable” to them and their families. Whenever you care for someone with
unhurried time, give the warmth of a loving touch, speak words of comfort and
concern, give a reassuring hug, or simply being present right there with them,
you help make the unbearable, bearable.
I write these “Bugle Notes” to remind you that you make a
difference every day in the lives of others; that what you do is important; and
that it is still a privilege to do what you do. You can never be reminded
enough of this. If you have been through a period of emotional/physical pain or
unrelenting hopelessness and despair, then you understand the realness of the
word unbearable. It has become personal to you. You understand what it means to
make the unbearable, bearable. When you do so, you are making a difference in the
life of that patient, that family. May it be a reminder of why you chose to go
into medicine.
Thank you for living a life that counts, a life that makes a
difference in this world.
Andy Lamb, MD
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