When I was growing up, we had devout Christian neighbours. The mother, like I am now, was a teacher. She was always particularly kind to me and I remain fond of her to this day.
She had extremely gifted children. They were black, which was unusual in those days, in our area. I remember my mother telling me, that one day one of the sons had cried, because my brother and I had casually kissed him goodnight, just like we had everybody else. We had had no notion of prejudice.
That neighbour had gone on to become a doctor, a very talented and caring man. He worked as a doctor of tropical medicine. Many years later I had decided to google him to see how he was doing. He was dead. I had been shocked to discover, he had himself contracted a tropical disease, while treating his patients and it had unfortunately claimed his life.
His sister played Fur Elise by Beethovan every night on the piano, We lived in a semi-detached home, so it was my bedtime serenade.
I recognise that there are many like him, who work quietly to ensure, that we have the standards of healthcare we enjoy today. Many like Marie Curie and D. have even given their lives in the process.
Doctors sit in their surgeries every day, never knowing what particular nasty we might bring in.
My father died of pneumonia following a year long fight with cancer and a hospital-borne anti-biotic resistant infection. Within a year, I had also nearly died of a serious condition, which had gone undiagnosed by doctors for months. I had become mistrustful of doctors for a while.
God has a unique way of teaching you things. I cannot begin to say, how many times doctors have saved my asthmatic son over the years. Doctors are always in the front line, during any public health crisis. Believe me I know doctors (like the rest of us) can make mistakes but I look at the fine, strapping man standing in front of me most days and remember he would probably not be here but for their dedication.
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