“When I was about ten years old my mother had an episode of illness that required her to see a doctor urgently. She and my father tried to schedule an urgent appointment with our local doctors but no openings were available and all the doctors were booked. My father had to go to work so my mother took me with her to the local doctors hoping that once she is in their office she would be seen. I remember distinctly holding my mother’s hand in the doctor’s office and the secretaries saying “sorry no openings, we’ll squeeze you in in two or three weeks” etc. No doctor could find a few extra minutes in his day to see my very sick mother. Finally a kind nurse at one of the doctor’s offices suggested that we go to an ER. In the ER my mother and I waited for hours; sleeping on the chairs from boar dome then waking up and sleeping again and waking up again and still her turn did not come. I remember my mother and I, being very thirsty and hungry while waiting, and waiting and waiting.

Finally after several hours in the ER, my mother gave up and we went back home where she had a family and children to take care of. The next day my mother fainted at home. I remember distinctly the looks of worry in my mother’s and father’s eyes. I remember my fathers secret tears that he would wipe away quickly so that no one would see him in a moment of weakness. I also remember saying to myself, why don’t any of these doctors remain a few more minutes to see my very sick mother who needed medical attention desperately and would have earned some extra money at the same time. We were middle to upper middle class and money was not an issue with our family.

This experience shaped my whole philosophy toward medicine and the doctor patient relationship. I decided then that I wanted to become the very best doctor that I could ever be and to provide my patients with the best possible care, and the best possible result, with the patient’s welfare as the most important factor in my life at the most reasonable coast.”

-Dr. Ayman Shahine