A new outfit

A couple of weeks ago one of my patient’s mom’s gave me my first present.  We had been putting casts on her adorable little girl for a club foot, and she was coming in for the final part of the process, a small procedure on her Achilles tendon.  I saw her out in the waiting area and she immediately got up and motioned that she had something for me.  I eagerly opened up the bag to find this lovely outfit below.

Now while this may not be the first outfit I would pick out, I know that it was a big sacrifice for the mom to get something like that for me and it meant a lot to me that she even think to get gifts for us.

The whole day was particularly enjoyable, because three of our club feet babies that we had been casting weekly came in for the final procedure.  All three of the mothers were beaming with joy.  The first mom came in with a picture of her little girl before the casting, and I was amazed at the difference that 6 weeks of casting made.  The second mom was so excited when her son came out of surgery that she began proclaiming her thanks and praises to everyone in the recovery room.  Jana and I happened to walk in when she was talking, and when she saw us, there was dancing and hugs all around for what had been done for her little boy.  And then I walked down the hall and was given my present.

It’s always good to have a reminder of the end result of our work every now and then.  Sometimes the goal gets forgotten amidst the cast saws and screaming, biting (yes, biting) children.  It doesn’t take much to remind you, just a hug and maybe a dress or hat every now and then.