I would stay up until 1 am on many nights talking to my father about the meaning of masculinity, the importance of being a good husband, and how the joy of becoming a father reshuffles priorities of life.

This is all the more special because 20 yrs ago, my father received a life saving heart transplant. The doctor who kept him alive for the past 20 years just retired. This is the letter I wrote for her that made her and him cry. I wanted to share it with you because my father taught me something important about being a man...we can catch the feels too :).

Dear. Dr. xxxxxx One day, in the waiting room of your office, my father met a woman whose relative was a patient. As he is known to do, my father struck up a conversation. Only to discover, her hometown was the same city in which my uncle practiced physiatry. Without expecting much, he asked if she knew a Dr. George Sandiford. She was taken aback. Not only did she know Dr. Sandiford, he happened to save her leg many years ago. She was in a terrible car accident and was scheduled for an amputation. Knowing he could return an adequate amount of functionality using less invasive means and many, many months of rehabilitation, he convinced the surgeon to hold off on the surgery. In her own words, “if it wasn’t for George, I wouldn’t be walking”.
I love this story for two reasons. First, it is a reminder that every life we touch with our actions causes a ripple effect through society that is hard to imagine. And Second, this testament to the power of a physician’s actions was spoken in the office of the doctor who has sent so many ripples through my life.
For 20 years, you have been my father’s strongest advocate. You have fought countless battles that went above and beyond the call of duty. I attribute his longevity directly to your actions as you guided him through multiple complications. How does a son express the impact that 20 years of borrowed time with his father and role model have on his growth and development? How does a boy measure the gratitude for the football games my father never missed, the hours of late night conversations from sports to politics, and the guidance he provided on how to be a morally just man? How does a man repay the physician who touched his life so profoundly? I just don’t know how to say thank you. In the darkest years after college, when I failed repeatedly to get into medical school, it was my father who was my strongest advocate. He never lost faith in me, even when I lost faith in myself. Now, I am set to graduate from medical school next year. As I begin my residency and continue into my career, I hope I embody the same characteristics that have made you so beloved amongst your patients. I hope I become the type of physician you would be proud of. And I hope to send my own ripples through society. Maybe in this way, I can say thank you with every life I touch.
Please enjoy your well-earned retirement! Xxxxx may no longer be your patient, but you will always be a part of our family.
All the best, xxxxxxxxxxxx