Red Shoe Diary

When I get older losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings, bottle of wine?
If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty four?

You'll be older too
And if you say the word
I could stay with you

-Lennon and McCartney

There have been several milestone retirements at Medical Center Emergency Services during the past year or two.  For those of us who graduated from our residency more than a decade (or two, or three) ago, the old place may not seem the same.  Rest assured, our teachers and mentors have left our hospitals in fine shape, with several home-grown graduates and also some 'new blood' from outside our programs joining the faculty to take their place.  While our new faculty is excellent, there are some pretty big shoes they are fillingBehrends, Claps, Freeman, M. Patel, Srinivasan and Sweeny.

Dr. Rebecca Behrends worked at Huron Valley-Sinai for over 18 years.  Dr. Pamela Claps (maybe not literally 'big shoes' to fill, but certainly figuratively) trained at DRH and worked at HUH and DRH for 29 years.  Dr. Scott Freeman (see separate article) worked at DRH for almost 32 and a half years.  He also served as program director, including the first two years of my residency.  Dr. Maheshkumar Patel has retired from SGH after 28 and a half years with MCES.  Dr. Kalavathy Srinivasan, who worked both at DRH and Children's has retired from the adult world after almost 31 years, although she continues to see children.  Last but not least, Dr. Padraic Sweeny who was also the President of MCES for many years, is stepping down after 35 years!  (Separate article to follow.)

It is amazing to consider the lives these remarkable physicians have touched.  Medical students, residents, nurses and their own colleagues have all learned and benefitted by knowing them and working with them.  And of course, our patients…The benefit to our patients has been exponentially improved by each of their students who  touch thousands of patients and exercise  the knowledge and compassion learned from these venerable role models.

I am keeping this editorial short because I have more to write about Drs. Sweeny and Freeman, but I wanted to pay tribute to these tremendous physicians and teachers, and wish them well in the next phase of their lives.  Godspeed!  

I could be handy, mending a fuse
When your lights have gone
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride
Doing the garden, digging the weeds
Who could ask for more?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty four?

Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight
If it's not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck and Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line
Stating point of view
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, wasting away
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine forevermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty four?