Bucks Montgomery Physician Summer 2021 - 12

FEATURE
A LIFE OF
SERVICE
by Dr. D
W
hat do you want to be when you grow up son?
Doctor, lawyer, fireman or football player? My
dad's a lawyer, my older brother's a lawyer, my
sister's a lawyer...I went to school to be lawyer. But as life
would have it, I met a pretty young girl in college who wanted
to be a doctor like her dad. Her dad served his community
of poor laborers as well as volunteered to serve migrant
workers in the fields of the Eastern Shore in Virginia at a
clinic each summer. When we met, it changed my life.
I was raised with ambition and drive to be the best my brain
would allow and to succeed if I was so fortunate. Service was
not actively a factor in that equation. We are a good family
with a spiritual foundation and respect for others...but service
was not a value that had a place in career choices. No surprise
if you are a family of lawyers. (Sorry, but if you haven't guessed
I am a physician now and have met the darker side of lawyers
on occasion.)
Well, after meeting my future father-in-law and saw in him
something missing in my life, I changed course and entered
a pre-med curriculum. The weight of that decision was quite
heavy. I had a lot to prove to myself and my skeptical family.
But I also had a motivation that was somewhat greater than
10 BUCKS/MONTGOMERY PHYSICIAN summer 2021
those resulting from my own ambition. Could I possibly qualify
for the great profession that has at its core the service of the
sick? I most certainly felt unprepared and unworthy. Because
no one in my family followed this profession I also was entering
an unknown path.
I began learning all I could by working in hospitals, ERs, and
medical offices while in school. I saw teams of people laboring
daily, working day and night in a very noble manner. As time
would have it I was blessed with the privilege of entering this
profession and chose Family Medicine as my path. Cradle to
Grave care with few limitations I began in a country community
that was growing faster than most. My practice was diverse
and full service in a group with x-rays, labs and both in and
out-patient care (no OB). We had long hours and full schedules.
I loved every minute.
But overtime this was not enough. The hunger to serve grew.
I began working in free clinics within my community and serving
on mission teams in Haiti. Life was now full. My heart was
filled with all I could give it to bear. The challenge to meet and
exceed the high quality well-funded healthcare in my town was
awesome. The need to modify decision-making based on what
was available in a free clinic setting where financial, social and
community resources are limited was difficult but also tested
Bucks Montgomery Physician Summer 2021

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