it is a curious thing, when one of our own dies young. and I do mean curious there are just a handful of common things that kill young doctors and our profession demands nay normalises we find those common-things-that-occur-commonly this is no simple diagnostics it is more than morbid curiosity it is a need-to-know (ifContinue reading “in memoriam”
Tag Archives: death
That One Patient [Book Review]
I told myself I would remember her forever – the first patient I lost. I was just a third year medical student, and really, it was my team doing the looking after, not me. I’ve forgotten her name by now, but I still remember her. I initially resisted reading Ellen de Visser’s That One PatientContinue reading “That One Patient [Book Review]”
[Book Review] Every Minute Is A Day by Robert Meyer and Dan Koeppel
Not all COVID-books are for doctors. Like many healthcare workers, I have often turned to narratives to cope with my work, and these have been plentiful during the (COVID) pandemic. But eventually one reaches a point where you can no longer look into the mirror of your daily life – and I have reached thatContinue reading “[Book Review] Every Minute Is A Day by Robert Meyer and Dan Koeppel”
For an Organ Donor
The final stitch placed Surgical clamps released A kidney turns pink. * * * He was right. Nothing compares. Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa Love Life, Gift Life
Baby-CPR: Full Circle
The first time I partook in a baby’s resuscitation was during my fourth year of medical school. It was a disaster: the wall-suction malfunctioned, the nursing staff were in the precarious business of changing shifts, and all algorithms flew out of the window.
I vowed optimistically that when I was a doctor, I would not let a baby die that way.
Review: When Breath Becomes Air
“The fact of death is unsettling. Yet there is no other way to live.” Why do we do what we do – choose a career in science, in business, or in the arts? Why do we procreate, and why do we sometimes choose not to? Is it that we are avoiding the inevitability of lifeContinue reading “Review: When Breath Becomes Air”
1 September: Seven Years Later
As I grow older, I learn that there will always be more dates to remember. I am good with dates, but these are the dark kind. The ones I wish did not exist. I know that one day there will be so many that I cannot remember them all, and that many people will beContinue reading “1 September: Seven Years Later”
For Thembi Losi
Today will be my fourth day of rural Family Medicine. I do not know what awaits me, but while I treat patients and learn as much as I possibly can, I will also be thinking of one beautiful green-eyed girl who is laid to rest today. I met Thembi in 2007. We were attending aContinue reading “For Thembi Losi”
Madiba and the Child
We were on holiday when the news about Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela broke late Thursday evening. With little to no internet, WordPress was not an option (if you don’t blog it, did it really happen?), but the past few days have been a period of introspection for the whole of South Africa. It has been yearsContinue reading “Madiba and the Child”
Grey’s Anatomy: An Obituary
Do not read this if you have not yet watched up to and including Grey’s Anatomy S10E02. There will be spoilers. And emotions. If you are new to my blog (thank you for reading, and welcome) – yes, I do watch Grey’s Anatomy, and yes, I know a lot of it is entirely inaccurate; andContinue reading “Grey’s Anatomy: An Obituary”
MAC Awake 