Found this in my draft file -I wrote it the day after DJ's gender confirmation surgery but forgot to publish it…we had a lot going on, needless to say. Might be worth a look see for those persons living in the USA and looking for a good surgeon. I can share details privately if you're interested. If so, simply comment in the box below and include an email address and we can correspond.
The Author
DJ's surgery took place in a SMALL community hospital in the northeastern United States. Bulldog and I are hospital snobs, in a way. Both of our professional lives have encompassed being familiar with the capabilities of hospitals, or the BIG DOGS of hospitals, the Level 1 Trauma Centers.
I used to fly on an air medical helicopter where it was our "norm" to pick up patients from small community hospitals and transport them to the fancy-pants trauma centers that had advanced services 24/7 to include surgeons, CT scan and MCI capability around the clock. Part of the air medical transport culture is to "look down" on the small community hospitals. After all, if they were "all that" they wouldn't need larger hospitals with their own helicopters to swoop in and take the patients from the small town hospital to the big- time hospital.
I have been schooled today. One should never judge: a book by its cover, people on first impressions, or, apparently, hospitals based on their locale and appearance.
To get to this hospital, one travels past the outskirts of a major city and then heads into relative suburbia/small town-ness. This small town has very few hotels, a Wal-Mart (of course) a few diners and some fast food establishments like Dunkin' Donuts and McDonalds. On pulling into the hospital parking lot the morning of the surgery, I noted that the parking lot was practically deserted with no traffic coming into or leaving the hospital. The hospital appeared to have been built in the 1950s or 1960s both on the outside and the inside. The waiting room did not have Wi-fi and I'm pretty sure the chairs were as old as I am because the springs were shot, much like my own springs.
Do not be fooled by impressions: the surgery that takes place here is cutting edge and the staff has been wonderful. DJ's surgeon was a surgeon for NASA and is increasingly well known in the USA, if not the world, for her surgical finesse, yet she practices her craft (I would call it "art" actually) in this nondescript hospital. What a perfect way to fly under the radar, I've decided. Here, we get the best of both worlds: the best and most progressive surgical techniques coupled with one of the best attributes of a small town- genuine caring and compassion.
The monitoring and patient care equipment is all current, it's just the facade of the place that is faded. Has my life with my daughter taught me nothing about judging someone or something by its appearance?
The Author
DJ's surgery took place in a SMALL community hospital in the northeastern United States. Bulldog and I are hospital snobs, in a way. Both of our professional lives have encompassed being familiar with the capabilities of hospitals, or the BIG DOGS of hospitals, the Level 1 Trauma Centers.
I used to fly on an air medical helicopter where it was our "norm" to pick up patients from small community hospitals and transport them to the fancy-pants trauma centers that had advanced services 24/7 to include surgeons, CT scan and MCI capability around the clock. Part of the air medical transport culture is to "look down" on the small community hospitals. After all, if they were "all that" they wouldn't need larger hospitals with their own helicopters to swoop in and take the patients from the small town hospital to the big- time hospital.
I have been schooled today. One should never judge: a book by its cover, people on first impressions, or, apparently, hospitals based on their locale and appearance.
To get to this hospital, one travels past the outskirts of a major city and then heads into relative suburbia/small town-ness. This small town has very few hotels, a Wal-Mart (of course) a few diners and some fast food establishments like Dunkin' Donuts and McDonalds. On pulling into the hospital parking lot the morning of the surgery, I noted that the parking lot was practically deserted with no traffic coming into or leaving the hospital. The hospital appeared to have been built in the 1950s or 1960s both on the outside and the inside. The waiting room did not have Wi-fi and I'm pretty sure the chairs were as old as I am because the springs were shot, much like my own springs.
Do not be fooled by impressions: the surgery that takes place here is cutting edge and the staff has been wonderful. DJ's surgeon was a surgeon for NASA and is increasingly well known in the USA, if not the world, for her surgical finesse, yet she practices her craft (I would call it "art" actually) in this nondescript hospital. What a perfect way to fly under the radar, I've decided. Here, we get the best of both worlds: the best and most progressive surgical techniques coupled with one of the best attributes of a small town- genuine caring and compassion.
The monitoring and patient care equipment is all current, it's just the facade of the place that is faded. Has my life with my daughter taught me nothing about judging someone or something by its appearance?
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