I want to share with you an e-mail I received.  Its message stands true in all areas of life and work…

 

“In my workplace I walk up five flight of stairs to get to my office. For the past three weeks there has been a pile of trash at the bottom of the staircase,  I have looked at it for 21 days. Yesterday I asked my boss if he could contact environmental services (hierarchy is of importance in this matter), and ask them to sweep the staircase (as if they needed to be reminded of their job). It made me think once again of how easy it is to simply not be present, to allow situations and people to fall through the cracks, after all “it’s not my job”.

 

Many of my patients (and of those of the educators I supervise) can easily be lost to follow-up. They miss one appointment, no one calls them, they themselves don’t call back….and there we have it. When I started my current job I noticed how a large number of patients fell in this category, and was taken aback by it. It inspired me to renew my efforts and commitment to follow through, to make that third call (even after having no response the first two times). There are moments when it would be easy not to care, not to follow up; after all some of those lost to follow up are hard “nuts to crack”; why should I care when they don’t care about their own chronic disease management?

 

And then….. I think about the wonder of being present for someone who rather live in denial of their condition, who does so out of fear, frustration, apathy. I bring to my mind the miracle I witness when someone just “gets it” and realizes that it is possible, that they actually can take care of themselves, and that makes it all worthwhile.

 

Other areas of my life could also easily be lost to follow up, such as:

 

- Allowing things to accumulate in my home, instead of donating them if no one has used them for months (or years)

- Calling or writing to that good friend whom I have not seen since I moved

- Adding something cute or fun to my husband’s lunch bag

- Sewing the buttons that fall off pants or sweaters……..

 

Too much effort to follow up, why me? Everyone else seems to be in lalaland. I could go on and on. All I know is that I am most fortunate to want to follow-up, most fortunate to be an enthusiast, most fortunate to believe that it is possible to live a good a life, albeit the physical or situational limitations that we faces. O.K. got to go now and call a patient who missed his appointment yesterday”.

Thanks, Kati!

I am listening …