OLD FRIENDS

In recent weeks, I have received several letters or holiday cards in the mail from former patients from Oregon. There are no words to describe the joy that those letters have brought to me because those words reminded me just how close we had become - more like friends than doctor and patient.

There was the update from one of the few patients with metastatic prostate cancer that I may have cured. He was excited about a new grandchild and a book he was hoping to get published. There was the card from the wife of a dear patient who passed away last summer prior to my departure. She wanted to check in to see how I was doing and to say that she looked forward to supporting our research. Then, there was one of my longtime patients who is the biggest Oregon Ducks fan whom I have ever met. He called into my oncology clinic here in Michigan just to let me know that he missed me and hoped that I was doing well.

Men, women, young, old, all white. However, these are men and women with whom I have a visceral connection. We lived through some of the most intense moments of their lives and shared many memories, smiles, and hugs. I miss them just as I miss my old life.

Before we moved, I ran into a friend at Grant Park. I told him that I was sad to leave my friends in Portland. Without missing a beat, he said, "Don't look at it that way. You will always have us here in Portland. You will just have a chance to make some new friends, too!"

I hope his wish comes true and that I find an equally supportive and caring network of friends in Michigan. It takes time, so I am just taking one day at a time. In the meantime, I will be sure to continue to check in with my old friends "back home," including those families whom I came to love through work.