Hobbies and Interests

What are some of your writing goals?

 I would like to get to a point where I can read something I wrote and say, that was written well.  I find that good writing reads effortlessly.  It creates moods and brings places and characters to life.  In short, good writing expands the world of the reader.  I recall beginning the English Patient and finding the writing transcendent.  The story almost became secondary for me.  I know that I will never become that good, just as I realize I will never be as good a pianist as Valentina Lisitsa.  But I shall always strive. 

Tell me a bit about your medical career:

My medical career began quite late.  I had worked with a veterinarian in New Mexico for a couple years and absolutely loved it.  I went to U. C. Davis (the only Vet school in California) with the goal of becoming a veterinarian.  And then…life changed.  I did my junior year abroad at the University of Melbourne where they go straight from high school to medical school.  I wished to continue to study science while there and somehow ended up with their third year medical school class.  I recall working with cadavers and thinking how incredibly complex is the human body.  It wasn’t just a challenge, it was an appreciation that led me to pursue medicine as a career. 
As mentioned, I was quite late deciding as I returned a senior.  So I didn’t actually apply until after I had graduated Davis.  I didn’t expect to get in but realized I would regret not trying.  So I worked on my application during downtimes in the tomato fields while I was truck driving. 
Medical school was a daunting experience.  But my first day I will never forget.  The professor said sternly, “Do you know what happens if you fail an exam here?”  Silence.  “We give it to you again.  And again.  Until you pass.   Our only goal is to ensure you know the information.”  This was tremendously uplifting.  Until third year.  That was when we began working on real patients and it seemed the consequences were so high.  Yet, when you first start to realize that you made a positive difference in someone’s life, nothing is more fulfilling.   It was during my third year that I delivered approximately 100 babies—that never ceases to be the most incredible feeling in the world. 
I chose family practice because of my time in Nicaragua.  I shared a small living space with the local doctor.  At any time, day or night he might get called back to the clinic.  A rap on the door saying, “doctor, doctor!”   I realized that if I were a specialist, such as a hematologist or orthopedist, I would most likely not be helpful.  Yet this local doctor seemed to be able to do anything.  That’s when I decided. To be a family practice physician fulfilled my idea of what it means to be a doctor.

Do you have any medical stories that we could possibly use other than the ones from your book you’d like us to know about?

Wow.  This is a difficult one.  There are so many stories.  I’ll just give the first one that comes to mind. 
It’s not uncommon for me to take out a lipoma.  Typically, they are small, about the size of a grape, up to the size of an apricot.  One day, a truck driver who didn’t have medical insurance asked me to remove her lipoma.  It was very large, bigger than my entire hand and located on her left flank.  I am not a surgeon, I just use local anesthesia.  And I told her, it was just too large, she really needs to have this done under anesthesia by a surgeon.  She begged me saying it was just not possible, she could never afford thousands of dollars to get it done.  I had known her for probably 15 years, she was going to be moving to Florida and didn’t expect to have insurance there either.  Finally I relented and said I would try.  My initial incision was quite long, probably about 8 centimeters.  But, it wasn’t long enough.  I had to extend because the mass was actually quite deep.  After probably half an hour I cut out a large chunk of the mass and then….there was more.  I repeated this procedure and the same thing happened.  This lipoma was like an iceberg—much larger than I had anticipated.  Of course there was bleeding.  And, as time marched on I kept telling myself this was a bad idea.  By the time I had got all of it out, I would estimate it was the size of a grapefruit.  I stitched her closed and just was thankful that I didn’t do any obvious harm.  The next time I heard from her was a card post marked from Florida.  She had to thank me and then tease me about her bruise.  She said the bruising covered much of her lower back and buttock and took almost a month to go away.  About a year later she moved back to California and became my patient again.  Literally every time I see her she reminds me of that procedure.

When did you start playing soccer?

We had not long moved from Ohio to California.  I didn’t have many friends and so my parents encouraged me to play with a nearby neighbor.  But, on the weekends, he would be playing soccer.  I started going to his games and soon I joined the team.  I was ten at the time.

Why play soccer in the future?

Such a strange question.  It is such a team sport.  At any point with or without the ball you are thinking.  And, there is nothing like it for exercise.  I do realize I am now one of the oldest out there.  I certainly can’t run as fast as the young guys anymore.  But, I hope to play for a few more years.