“Listening is talking for him; there’s an eloquence to this kind of attentiveness; it’s rare.”
― Abraham Verghese, The Covenant of Water
All clinicians experience from time to time what we call the “difficult patient.” For just a moment, as you read those words, reflect on what arises within
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I looked at my patient’s wife this morning, crying, and felt I was witnessing a beautiful sadness. When the husband first came in with a stroke six weeks ago, I remembered the wife crying helplessly. Both of them, in their 80s, were very loving, and were termed “Romeo and
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Watching Noah Wyle on screen in an ER is like welcoming back an old friend, except now , it is not set in Cook county General Hospital, Chicago, but the “The Pitt” an emergency room in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He is now more jaded, and he has aged.
As an Emergency Physician,
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Back in my day
We did 36 hour shifts
Came back the next morning
Traced old notes, retrieved
Survived 8 calls per month
We did all the ECGs
Had 40 patients to round
Transcribed medication lists
We pushed stainless steel trolleys
piled up with patient files
After ordering antibiotics
We
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"Why did you call my brother to collect my discharge medication, instead of me?" From the inside of the pharmacy, I heard a loud voice hurling accusations at my colleague, who then approached me, the floor manager, to try to defuse the situation. I proceeded outside, unsure of
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Some stories are too fragile to be told in words. Some emotions too heavy to carry alone. And sometimes, the best way to understand an experience is to shape it with your hands.
That’s what Being Shaped: VESSELS is about.
From February 10–14, 2025, at KKH Auditorium Foyer,
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Book Review
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In January 1984, a young Steve Jobs stood before an eager audience at the Apple shareholders meeting and recited the iconic words of Bob Dylan: “The times they are a-changin’.”
For the times they are a-changin’
Come writers and critics, who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide,
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Please be advised that this story delves into trauma-related topics that may be triggering to the reader
They told me about what happened to you, and my heart sank lower and lower as I heard the details. They said you had over 70% body surface area burns. That’s too
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When I first came across Zhou Yi Chen (周一忱)’s game dedicated to his grandmother, I was struck by how a video game—of all things—could so powerfully convey the depth of human emotion. This isn’t your typical action-packed or puzzle-solving game; it’s a gentle, heartfelt journey
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