And this time, my team and I had the chance to do something that made a difference for someone we love.
So I was only 12-years old the first time I realized what seemed like a little thing to me could make a major difference for someone I loved. I was almost straight outa the 7th grade and playing catcher on the last day of school when a collision at the plate sent me back on my heels…but it was my right arm that didn’t turn out so well.
My broken arm got fixed and on a subsequent follow-up appointment the surgeon was happy with my result but showed some concern for my mom. Mom had a facial mole that was basically invisible to me…but obviously not to Mom. I was slightly shocked when Mom quickly consented to have the lesion removed; it was the only medical procedure Mom would experience from my birth to care for her broken hip some 40-years later. Only years later did I even consider the chance the lesion could have been a basal cell carcinoma or malignant melanoma (and I’m not so sure that was even part of Mom’s decision-making process.) What I did notice was Mom’s smile.
And these days, I get to make a difference for people I love. We get to serve our patients like friends and family.
I’ve known Vivian for going on 20-years; she and her buddy, Pearl, and I met at the gym. Please do not laugh hard enough to warrant a hernia repair- the three of us met while dominating lesser talented dancers taking hip-hop classes.
And even though Vivian is a proud UCLA grad, we agree on just about everything. Vivian just might be the only totally Bruin geared-up individual on the face of the earth with whom I willingly share social media photos. One of my February highlights through the years has been addressing Vivian’s Second Graders during Dental Health Month. I’ve never heard Vivian say a negative thing about anyone, even after one of my USC lawyer friends famously confiscated a spin bike Vivian had already signed up for.
Vivian has recovered from a severed Achilles tendon and some of the stuff that just shouldn’t happen to people with big, generous hearts. Whether it’s been her name on the schedule or a spin class sighting…or her wedding photo on Facebook, Vivian has always elicited a smile from me.
And this time, my team and I had the chance to do something that made a difference for someone we love. And it’s great having the chance to make a difference for true friends and family offering Invisalign care.
