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2009.10.13 01:41

이한중*65 Views:3888


A STORY



     
    Bruce and Emily have been married over 65 years.
    Bruce was an intern, and Emily a student nurse when they married.
    Bruce is 89 years old, and Emily 86.
    They have 6 children, 18 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.
    Bruce was my mentor, a friend, a golf partner and my patient.
    Emily had the perfect golf swing and played golf with Bruce on Sundays.
    Emily also became my patient.
    I've known them over forty years and their children many years.
    I remember like yesterday, one late evening in 1966
    when I was one of the first year medical residents, and
    he handed to me a textbook of electrocardiography to read.
    He let me, the first year resident, read the EKGs he was assigned to read,
    and corrected them later.
    We struck a lasting friendship that lasted almost half a century.
     
    Some ten years ago Emily began to show early signs of Alzheimer's disease.
    I watched the unrelenting progression of the disease.
    It has taken every imagination, intelligence and common sense
    of Bruce, his children and me as a treating physician to deal with
    the ups, downs, and the unexpected of the terrible disease.
    Finally, Emily settled down in a group home in the last year.
    Through all these trials and tribulations,
    Bruce who used to play golf with such a devotion over 60 some years
    stopped playing and would say, "I played golf enough in my life."
    He would devote himself one hundred percent to the care of Emily.
    He would start the day by going to the church to pray every morning.
    Once Emily settled at a group home some 20 miles away,
    he would go there every day, sat next to Emily holding her hands,
    and every now and then reminiscing the past whether Emily hears it or not.
    When Emily doesn't respond, he would say the words she would've said.
     
    Then one day I received a phone call from his oldest son, Bob.
    Bruce got lost a number of times when he was driving to the place
    Emily is staying.
    Bruce all of sudden started writing hundreds of checks to every charity that
    is asking for donation.
    This is the most unusal behavior according to the son.
    In short, Bruce is showing the clear signs of Alzheimer's disease.
    To make a long story short,
    the family and I are preparing Bruce to enter the group home where
    Emily has been staying.
     
    Bruce has been a mentor for my medical profession,
    and more importantly a mentor for my life journey.
    I watched him eating and digesting faithfully every word of marriage vows.
    He showed me what the marriage is all about and
    what the family is all about and
    finally what the life is all about in his own way.
    His accomplishments in his life are too many to list here.
    He was the wittiest man, always ready with intelligent jokes.
    He was the oldest, active golfer and the most popular guy at our club.
    Of course, he was one of the past presidents of our golf club.
    Some twenty years ago he and four others invited me to apply to join the club.
    So I applied but got rejected because two of the ten board directors voted no.
    Bruce wrote a most scathing letter to the board indicating the fact that
    they voted me down because I was an asiatic.
    Not only that but also he called every one of ten board directors to make sure
    to tell them how shameful it is that we have two racists on the board.
    Because of his letter, the board held a special meeting and
    passed my application unanimously.
    I still have the copy of his letter, which was signed by all five sponsors.
    It was one of those eye-opening life experiences for me.
     
    I am forever indebted to Bruce, who will be in my prayer for the rest of my life.
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