Yesterday, I heard some terrible news. A friend told me that a PGH intern has just died. She was diagnosed to have a fever of unknown origin (FUO). Differentials included typhoid fever, dengue fever, meningococcemia, and even EBV. Yet for two weeks, they couldn't arrive at a definite diagnosis. She was found to be coded (no heart beat and no respiration) in the morning, and resuscitative efforts proved to be futile. I never knew the intern, she was not one of the medical clerks I've worked with during my internship training there. Yet, I couldn't help but feel sad for her. What happened makes me think about how fleeting life is... everything can go away--- our source of happiness, sadness, pain, our hopes, our dreams, our ambitions... everything about our lives can be taken from us--- just like that. In an instant... without warning.
Who could've expected such a thing to happen to her? or to any intern, any doctor, for that matter? She went to a top medical school, with dreams of becoming a doctor someday. I don't think she expected to catch a contagious disease on her way to her dream of becoming as physician. Who would've thought that she would catch a potentially fatal illness when she was on triage duty on that day, when she had contact with a patient diagnosed with meningococcemia (hence one of her differentials). We can point fingers at certain people, who were probably at fault... though what good would that do? Maybe it's no one's fault, though I wouldn't be surprised if prophylactic medications were not given, or no face masks were available, since PGH always seemed to run out of much needed medications and supplies. The incident made me realize that health professionals are in a pretty dangerous field. Everyday that we report for duty, we carry many risks--- risks to our health, and even risks to our lives. Everyday we have contact with patients with contagious diseases, some of which are deadly. The burden of too much work coupled with lack of sleep compromises our health even more. Plus those isolated incidents wherein relatives of patients would threaten to hurt you or even kill you if anything happened to their wives, children, parents... yes, such incidents do happen. Some doctors even have it worse. There are a lot of them working at war prone areas, where they would sacrifice their lives, just to fulfill their mission of service. Health profesionals sacrifice a lot, just to continue working in their chosen field. They sacrifice time with family and friends. They sacrifice their own health. And many have sacrificed their lives to be of service to others. Though many people may take what they do for granted, though many health workers go unnoticed, each health worker is a hero. It is not a profession where one can afford to be selfish. When we let selfishness prevail, we can't succeed in this field. We won't be part of the health force at all.
It's really sad to have one's ambition end abruptly like that. We can say that at least she was doing what she wanted to do when disaster struck.... she was on her way to fulfill her ambition. Still, it's a pitiful fate--- she hasn't reached her dreams yet... she was almost there, but not quite. I guess that makes it even more pitiful... her dreams were within reach when everything was taken away from her. I'd hate to think what her loved ones are feeling.... especially her parents. They sent their child to an excellent university, they sent her on the path to fulfill their child's ambition, and maybe their ambition as well--- who wouldn't want to have a doctor in the family after all? Who would've thought that danger was ahead... the road had a fatal trap that would prevent her from reaching her ambitions after all.
sometimes, life can be so unfair.
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