Posted on June 11, 2020Categories MFPC 2019 2020 Original Writtings

And the silence came – Sofia Arango Mendoza

All throughout my shift, the crackling of the overhead paging system would terrorize me. The instant I began to feel at ease, the signal of alarm would disrupt the promise of a peaceful, quiet night and was replaced by the echoing of these dreaded words: “Rapid Response Team!” or “CAC!”   Without delay, my body reacted the only way it knew how. The symphony was inaugurated by a brief gasp of astonishment, followed by the pounding of my exploding heart … Continue reading “And the silence came – Sofia Arango Mendoza”

Posted on June 11, 2020Categories MFPC 2019 2020 Original Writtings

The Last Breath – Naomi Friedman

The last moments of breath before the ventilator breathes for him are precious This could be the last goodbye, the last facetime, the last I love you Right before he wants to call his family It could be the last time he speaks with them He hangs up and looks at us anxiously “I don’t want to die” he says We tell him we are here for him and we will take care of him The ET tube is supposed … Continue reading “The Last Breath – Naomi Friedman”

Posted on June 11, 2020June 11, 2020Categories MFPC 2019 2020 Original Writtings

The Cry of the Widow – Naomi Friedman

Most of you don’t know what I’m talking about but some of you do. You hear that cry, that shriek, that uncontrollable sobbing from the widow. The patient is actively dying. We are doing compressions.  We are giving medications. There is still no pulse.  Compressions have stopped.  The patient is dead. It is up to us to call the family. We have to do it for the family and for ourselves It is up to us and no one else … Continue reading “The Cry of the Widow – Naomi Friedman”

Posted on June 11, 2020June 11, 2020Categories MFPC 2019 2020 Original Writtings, Uncategorized

What can we learn from the Pandemic – Melissa Berges Morales

What can I say that hasn’t already been said about COVID-19? Perhaps not much. I’ve never experienced an event that has captured the world’s attention and imagination as intensely as this. Across medical literature to opinion editorials, from family and friends to my own thoughts early in the morning and late at night, COVID was everywhere. And now I come to this; what have we learned thus far? What is the underlying theme that I now attach to this period … Continue reading “What can we learn from the Pandemic – Melissa Berges Morales”

Posted on June 11, 2020June 11, 2020Categories MFPC 2019 2020 Original Writtings, Uncategorized

In the Pit of My Stomach – Andrea Arango

As a physician sometimes I have wondered if I’d truly made a difference in someone’s life. Has any one decision that I’ve made been the turning point to heal another? Or worse, has something I’ve done or failed to do lead to their demise? It’s surreal how a doctor holds the control for what appears to be even the smallest choices of a patient’s hospitalization: out of bed at will versus strict bed rest, normal saline versus lactated ringer’s, regular … Continue reading “In the Pit of My Stomach – Andrea Arango”