I'm Proud of My Parents

An excerpt of this piece was published in The Washington Post. Please click here to view the article, titled “‘10 days later he was gone’: More harrowing tales of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Years ago, in the middle of the night, Dad roused my brother and me and rushed us out of the house. When we got to the hospital, he took us to our usual spot: a little computer room next to the cardiac cath lab. A middle-aged man, in obvious discomfort and struggling to breathe, was being rolled into the cath lab. Dad, in his trademark yellow lead vest, was leaning over the patient and gently explaining the procedure to him.

Sometime later, Dad came into the computer room and said, “Come on. I want to show you something.” As I slumped in his lap, he pointed to a black-and-white image on the computer. “This is the coronary artery,” he explained. It’s the vessel that carries blood to someone’s heart. Right now, it’s blocked.” Suddenly, the little passageway became propped open by a tube-like object. I was fascinated by the sudden improvement. 

As we stepped out of the room, a woman with two little boys walked up to Dad. “Doc, how is my husband?” the woman asked. With a reassuring tone, he replied, “Your husband is going to be just fine.” Tears of joy cascaded down her cheeks. Sensing the good news, her two little boys, who seemed close to me in age, grabbed onto her leg and asked if they could go see their dad.

That night was probably the first time I realized I wanted to be a physician: I wanted to be like Dad. The stud surgeon and the smart scientist. But more importantly, the compassionate caregiver. 

Mom has mirrored that same selflessness. For example, during her birthday dinner last year, my little sister burst into tears when Mom had to leave abruptly after a patient suffered a stroke. Mom gently explained, “I have to go see this lady so she can go home to her kids.”

As I’ve seen over the years, medicine requires an unwavering dedication to patient care and a balance between one’s duty as a physician and other priorities in life. Medicine is a field embedded in the fabric of humanity, as physicians must walk a fine tightrope to balance the drama of life and death with the raw vulnerability of their patients. 

That has never been more true than now. True to what reports say, masks and other PPE are dangerously scarce. Dad’s 350-bed hospital is currently housing 95 infected patients, with case numbers rising alarmingly. Not too long ago, one of his nurses and one of his partners tested positive. But complications and emergencies don’t stop. Dad is still in the operating room, meticulously mending broken hearts. And albeit with serious precautions, he’s still seeing patients in his office, interacting with dozens daily to ensure they receive the care they need. He’s not yet worked directly on coronavirus patients, but it seems inevitable. 

Mom, meanwhile, is scheduled to return to work next week, even though she herself is immunocompromised and particularly at risk. (For the last two weeks, her department has been closed, but she’s continued seeing patients through teleconference.) A single N95 mask, one that she must keep safe and sanitary, will be her lone barrier between potentially serious disease onset. Like Dad, she’ll be interacting with many patients who need her care.

As for me, I’m a high school senior currently planning on studying pre-med in college. The coronavirus pandemic has drawn me even more towards a career in medicine. That might seem counterintuitive, and rightly so. In Italy, more than 50 doctors have died from COVID-19. One of my family members, a doctor in Long Island, was recently exposed. Just two days ago, a renowned neurosurgeon here in New York died from the disease, too. 

I have this elevated interest in medicine because I’m proud of my parents. Despite the obvious risks, they’re still putting themselves on the front lines. Like the thousands of nurses, physicians, and other staff around the country currently battling the pandemic and providing care, they’re the ultimate models of professionalism and altruism. I want to be just like my parents.