Dear Dr. Bradley,
One year ago today I had my facial reconstruction and skull surgery, at Lennox Hill Hospital. You and Dr. Langer worked for hours and hours to give me a beautiful face. It was the face I always should have had.
Today I am in Palma, Majorca vacationing with my mum! I’m doing well and feeling good, overall. I have a beautiful symmetrical face, a normal forehead and a perfect cheekbone.
In terms of my professional life, I was profoundly affected by this whole experience. It impacted on my attitude towards patients and the work I have been doing as an Ethicist, teacher and advocate. As a result, I have developed a program for health care facilities that addresses ‘Civility, Professionalism and Respect’. I have just complete teaching the seminars to the entire staff of a local hospital and expect to be working with a non-profit agency to provide the same education to their staff.
With all the stresses of the modern health care system, I felt it was incumbent on someone to remind hospital staff to be kinder and revisit civility and the common courtesy that has, for many reasons, fallen by the wayside. The enduring message of the program is that kindness and civility costs nothing, takes next to no time to express and requires little, if any schooling and yet makes such a difference for patients and families. Anyway, I hope to expand the program and impact on as many folks as possible.
The words ‘thank you’ seem so inadequate for what you have done for me, but know that I will use this opportunity to bring about good and kindness in the world.
With all good wishes,
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