Many years ago, when I was a medical student, I met a very bright young man, during one of my clinical rotations. We eventually became friendly and one day we got talking and he told me his life story. He had grown up quite poor, and college had never been something that his parents had discussed with him. Consequently, when he turned 18 and graduated High School, he was quickly drafted into the army, and destined to serve in Vietnam. Following initial training he went on to 'jump school' and then the Q course and Special Forces training.
After serving in 5th Special Forces Group Airborne, the recipient of a Silver Star; Two Bronze Stars and Two Purple Hearts, he came home from an unpopular war, to a country that displayed hatred and disdain toward its veterans. He pulled himself up, literally, by his boot straps, and enrolled in college while holding a full time job. After graduating he went on to medical school, which is where I met him.
And here OUR story began:
We met, as 4th year medical students, while both rotating on a med/surg stint at Henry Ford Hospital, in Michigan. Considering his rather colorful past, and the fact that he had started med school a little later than the rest of us, he seemed shy and didn't have much to say. He later confessed that he was terrified of saying the wrong thing to me, and destroying his 'chance'. "I only had one chance to impress you, and make you remember me, before we both moved on to different rotations at different hospitals. If I blew it then you wouldn't have given me a second look"
Well, I wasn't much impressed, at all. When we made rounds each day with the residents, fellows and the'all important' Attending, he was 'all mouth' very confident and eager to show his superiors 'how much' he knew. It wasn't until our last week working together, before moving on, that I changed my impression about him.
We were both working on the night shift and it was relatively quiet on the unit we were assigned to. The resident was in the resident's 'on call room', and we had instructions to call him, if he was needed.
My student partner brought me a coffee, and we sat at the nurses' station checking charts. It was quiet and I looked up and caught him watching me. Our eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity. He smiled, I smiled back, and something happened, at that moment.
The following night was just as quiet, and we talked and it was then that he told me his story. At the end of the next day we would be leaving. I was to go to the East coast for a surgical rotation. He would go to St. Louis for his. Before he left he plucked up the courage to press an address into my hand. "I'll be staying here for the next two months" I gave him my address, and within a week I received a card saying that he was flying to Philadelphia to see a friend, and would I like to meet him for dinner, one evening?
We agreed to meet, and that was the beginning of our romance. Little did I know that the friend he was flying to Philly to visit was, in fact, myself LOL. Talk about 'placing all of ones' eggs in one basket'.. What a gamble!!
We married half way through our residencies, and now, many years, and four grown up children who have flown the coop, later, we are as much in love as we found ourselves in, back then. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without him.
