Watching a Man Who Loves His Work

It’s great to watch a man who loves his work. It shines out of him without his even being aware of it. At least it seems that way to me. That’s how I felt as I watched Dr. Donald Glower come into my Duke U. hospital room each morning, once as early as 5 a.m. (like he couldn’t bear to wait for another moment to pass) to check his work, as in the sutures, etc. resulting from his replacing a deteriorating heart valve recently. And I have a certificate to prove that a cow gave his life to save mine. Noble animal.

The entire week was a joyful experience for me. It wasn’t only the doctors who impressed me it was the entire 3300 patient care floor, RNs, those who take your blood, wheeled me to x-ray each day, cleaned my room, and the receptionist at the point of the floor, right across from my room.  A camaraderie blanketed the floor.

The floor is laid out in a triangle, which works very well; the receptionist point, as I thought of it, was certainly an oasis of cheer at the entry position. Many patients were in pain, some struggling with other problems added to their heart repairs but responded to any bit of sunshine sent their way. It’s encouraging. There were always bantering, merriment and joking going on in this area and I loved lying in my bed listening to the flow of playfulness going on. I felt it very important and encouragement in the middle of struggling back to normalcy.

I talked and listened to everyone. How did they choose the medical field, how long did they work here, who were they, what plans did they have for that night. I do admit to one noticeable difference. They all looked like they should be in high school!