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Year end letter 2017
2017 was by far the most challenging year we have faced since I have started private practice. This year has left us questioning what we do several times, made us reflect on the choices we have made and the direction of our lives, more often than once. Paul T Wong says: “Time spent in self-reflection is never wasted – it is an intimate date with yourself.” And always very necessary.
As a practice, we have achieved much this year:
We have traded in our 16-year old reception desk for a modern equivalent, and re-vamped the practice for a fresh, spacious look. Our motto for the year was “we shall not compromise”, and to this end we have committed ourselves, and our practice, to excellent patient care. We offer 24hour emergency cellphone support for procedure-related emergencies, and assist our patients with the pre-authorisation process for surgery. In addition, we offer free access to our wound care sisters for post-operative care, and free post-surgical visits for up to four months after surgery. We do not show away patients that cannot afford our practice rates, and assist patients financially by offering payment plans to cover the costs of unexpected life events.
I am still on call for two weeks every month, and often spend late nights and weekends in the theatres of the hospitals where I practice, attending to dire emergencies. Injury on duty cases are still part of my practice, as I feel that this is a small contribution I can make to enable breadwinners to return to work as quickly as possible, to continue to provide for their families.
Our newsletters remain popular, and articles are often shared far and wide. One article was shared more than 8000 times on Facebook – re-enforcing the need for accurate information and advice.
This year was especially hard on an emotional level – we have lost some of our dearest patients and friends. Some of them have been patients of ours since the day we started our practice, and have become part of the practice family. Their passing touched each of us in the practice very deeply, and we wish their families peace and contentment as they continue life’s journey without them. We think of them often, with fondness and with love. A very dear colleague of ours lost her son violently, and thus became another crime statistic of this country. We cannot imagine feeling what the loss must be like, and keep her family, and everyone who has been touched by violence, in our prayers and our hearts.
We cannot express enough gratitude to all the people who have touched our lives this year: To every one of our patients: thank you for entrusting your lives to us. We do understand how daunting it is to visit a doctors’ practice, often under difficult circumstances. We hope that we treated you with the necessary compassion, care and respect. If we failed to do so, please let us know, so that we can learn from our failure.
To our colleagues on all levels: doctors, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, nursing staff, administrative staff, hospital management, cleaners and porters, medical representatives, suppliers of products and services – in short, everyone who touched our lives this year: we thank you for your support, your love, your caring, your interest and the joy you brought to our lives.
A most special word of the thank you to the Florence Nightingales in our practice: Sr Beryl Mouton and Sr Elsa Pontes. Thank you for the compassionate care you give our patients, for the essential education about home care, and for the peace of mind you give us.
To our assistant practice manager, Kash Sidoo: You have changed our lives forever. Thank you for supporting our practice philosophy, for loving and caring beyond duty, and for carrying the burden of the practice while we travel in areas without cellphone reception, to clear our minds and connect on a personal level. Know that we appreciate you deeply!
Christo, thank you for making Amori’s 17-year dream come true – to have a male assisting her with admin in the practice. We know you will grow into an invaluable asset. We love your tenacity, your sense of humour, your caring nature and your support of our practice philosophy.
And now, to look forward to the future: As I prepare myself for eventual retirement, I will start to reposition my practice. 2018 will be the first step in that direction, as will become apparent in my first newsletter, which will be published end January. Our newsletter will be published every six weeks, and our website will be updated and refreshed. We will continue to harness social media to keep you updated of happenings in the practice, and in the field of plastic surgery. Certain practice policies and procedures will change, but we will keep you abreast of the changes.
Our motto for 2018 is “See who we are”. We are compelled to remain human, compassionate, honest and to do so with integrity, and we plan to do that every day, so you will “see who we are.”
Amidst the negativity of the world we live in, we need to continue to remain positive and hopeful. Challenges are merely stepping stones to inspire us to be better than we have been before. We need to continue to do what we know is right. In this world of “high tech, low touch”, we need to stand up and fight back. We need to remember that the touch of a hand and the warmth of a hug are things that keep us alive. We need to remember to be loving, kind, caring and compassionate. We need to reach out, and touch one another’s lives.
I conclude with these words of Sheri S Bessi:
“Dear Human, you can’t give up. You can’t give up on love because others are hateful. You can’t give up on believing in one another because you’ve been let down. You can’t give up on hope because pain came your way. You can’t give up on kindness because some people are cruel. You can’t give up on peace because war surrounds you. You can’t give up on dreams because they don’t always come true.
Life isn’t about everything being in order. Life isn’t about bliss. Life is about learning to live, love, hope and believe in the midst of perfect imperfection. Life is messy, complicated, confusing and beautiful all at the same time. Live is the single best give you have ever been given.
You can’t give up.”
We wish you and your family and friends all that you need for 2018. Be kind to yourself, and be kind to one another.
Dehan and Amori Struwig
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