A mother comforted her dying son with his new bride standing by his side, thanking him for being God’s greatest blessing, promising that she would come and find him in heaven. The room stood still.
There are a handful of moments that stay with us throughout our careers. This was one of them.
He was only 19 years old, but his time was counted in minutes and hours, not years. His dying wish was to marry his childhood sweetheart so, in the midst of beeping monitors and IV drips, a wedding was held. It was a strange moment, as in a place where success is often measured by survival rates, this moment served as a reminder that our greatest impact is not always about extending lives, but adding value to them.
The most challenging part of this was knowing that if he had been born in a different place with access to care as a child, he could have had the surgery needed – and a future beyond the age of 19. Instead, he was dying in a hospital bed not because his condition was untreatable but because, sometimes, life just is not fair.
It is often so easy for us to get caught up in the routines of work – writing notes, putting in orders, answering pages. But moments like this remind us why we chose this path. We do so much more than treat disease; we preserve dignity, ensuring every patient receives care that respects their humanity, no matter how little time they have left.
And, as these memories slowly accumulate, one life lost after another, a heavy weight burdens our souls. It is a quiet grief that we never confess but one that shapes who we are. We are healthcare workers. This is our job. We take on the burden of the world and carry it as if it were our own – until we cannot anymore.
With all the weight we carry, there is so much meaning. We watch a beautiful dance of fragility and resilience every day. And, if we allow it, it teaches us invaluable lessons. It reminds us to hold our loved ones close, to love fully without reservation, and to be present for every moment. These stories teach us that our job is not only to fight death but to honor life.
Maybe that is the true definition of success in medicine – not just saving lives but making them whole, ensuring that, even in the darkest moments, there will always be light.