My journey to balance family, work, and water polo.
Walk with me…again.
I wrote this last September not knowing it would get so much worse. I thought about this piece again as finally got COVID for the first time and as numbers for BA5 are rising. So far, ICU admissions and deaths have not risen as they have in the past....
Reboot
April 24th, 2020. That is the date of the last blog I posted. I started ideas for a new post countless times. Even finished one or two. But most remain loosely formed, trapped in my head. Questions about myself unanswered. Thoughts about life events left unprocessed...
Closing Walls and Ticking Clocks -by Madison Topin
I have often written about my relationship with my son, and the journey he (and I) have been on. He recently wrote this essay for one of his classes and needless to say, I learned a little bit more about him. Not only did I gain some insight into anxiety he faces, but...
Running Post-op
I’ve developed a formula to facilitate running after having surgery on my tongue: two-thirds medicinal, one-third mechanical. First, fifteen minutes prior to any run, take 3 tsp. of hydrocodone (definitely key to taking the edge off). Second, apply a generous amount...
Beyond the ABC’s to Stories of a Pandemic
Artwork by https://lindsaymound.com/ The volume of COVID related news and information is overwhelming. There is 24/7 coverage on TV, Twitter and social media. Important medical information is being shared in real-time across the globe on lessons learned caring for...
Things lost, things gained in the time of COVID 19
I’m an ICU doctor in the middle of a global pandemic. I am trained to manage ventilators and care for the critically ill. My city, along with others, is preparing for a surge of patients requiring hospitalization and intensive care. And I’m nowhere near a hospital....
A Path Well Traveled
The simplest questions/ are the most profound./ Where were you born? Where is your home?/ Where are you going?/ What are you doing?/ Think about these/ once in a while, and/ watch your answers/ change.” Richard Bach: Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah...
Running into Dissonance and Death in the ICU
I am a runner. I run long to train for iron distance triathlons. I run for fun with friends in the cool early morning sun and for a hot venti americano after. I run to cope with the frustrations that comes with life and being a busy physician in today’s world. I am a...
An Open Letter To The New Graduate – Endings and Beginnings
Maya, As I sit in the balcony watching, your distinct smile is visible from afar. You and 500 other students are about to receive your diplomas and, in the process, cross over from high school students to graduates. Our house has been hectic this past week with all...
What Would You Do For Love?
What would you do for love? That question is often posed during the dizzying intoxication of a new relationship. Answered in romantic comedies by driving cross country or hopping on some transcontinental flight, chasing down one’s true soulmate. It might mean moving...
The Big Chair
I miss when you both were little. The three of us with room to spare in the big chair. That precious time before you would sleep, wearing soft PJ’s dotted in animal shapes. I preferred the ones without “footsies”, so I could feel those small, cold feet brush against...
A Thanksgiving 2000 Miles Apart
For me, holidays such as Thanksgiving, evoke memories more than emotions. Reflection on traditions more than generating a visceral response. The ritual of a 4am wake up alarm followed by a moonlit drive on barren roads to an empty hospital parking lot has been...