It’s just rewarding when we see the fruits of our labor. For the case of Dr. Jimmy Dumlao, it was a humbling experience.
Dumlao shared on his Facebook account how he came across the father of his former patient during one morning commute. It started when a pedicab stopped in front of him – and the driver called him out and addressed him “Doc”.
“I didn’t have a white coat or a stet or any identifying object which would say I was a doctor. So why did he call me “Doc”?”, he shares on his Facebook.
The pedicab driver shares that Dumlao was the doctor of his son in PGH (Philippine General Hospital) last 2010.
Dumlao was a “newbie pedia resident” that year, and was surprised that he was still remembered after eight years. He asked how the child was doing, while struggling to recall and identify him and the child.
“He was cured of TB meningitis. He’s grown up,” the pedicab driver says in Tagalog. “We had to take extra care of him because of his sickness, but we were happy he was able to recover and go home! Thank you. Please do send my regards to Dra. Santos.”
Dumlao shares his sentiments from the brief encounter he had.
“It was an extremely inspiring and humbling moment for me. All my “big” worries became insignificant when I stood there in front of a father whose son was in their home, with developmental limitations no thanks to his TB meningitis, but nonetheless this father was expressing his happiness (after 8 years of providing..as a pedicab driver.. for all his son’s special needs) because his son was alive, and was also so excited to send his thanks to his son’s former doctor and that young doctor’s senior.
Oh, for the special, quick moments like this, the years of training and service in a government hospital become all worth the sleepless nights, blood, sweat and tears.
In my mind, I said a little prayer. Salamat po, Diyos ko, at napagod at “nabugbog” kami sa PGH, kung ang kapalit naman ay ganitong mga tagpo.”
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Disclaimer: WheninManila.com does not own the photo above. Credits go to Dr. Jimmy Dumlao.