Today I made a difficult phone call. Last Friday while I was on vacation, my laboratory lost a biopsy. This almost never happens. In fact, in my twenty years of practice, I can think of it happening only twice - and both times were within the last three weeks to the same submitting doctor. As we visited on the phone, I nervously explained this plight to Dr. Glick. I had expected a different response, but this is the one I got: “Steve, life is like a bed of roses that we gather over time. It is a beautiful experience, but on rare occasion we come up with a thorn. Just because one (or in this case, two) bad things happen, I will never forget the thousands of biopsies you have interpreted for me so thoughtfully over the years. I love you guys, and I love doing business with you”. I have never broken down in tears over the phone to a clinician, but like the rare thorn, I did this time.
LESSON LEARNED: Forgiveness and understanding still exist in the world; sometimes we forget this fact in a world that teaches otherwise.
FEEDBACK: WHAT MARVELOUS EXPERIENCE HAVE YOU HAD AS THE RECIPIENT OF FORGIVENESS AND UNDERSTANDING?
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