The Doctor That saved my life

I first met Dr. George Coleman in September 2020 during a chaotic pandemic that confused the whole world. Prior to my employment with the company, he had gone through a series of nurses, & just like that, he had another name to remember. At the time, I think it was a running joke that he shouldn’t even try to remember a nurse’s name until she had been employed for at least three months. (Needless to say, I passed the test. Year 3 is loading…).

By the time I met Dr. Coleman, I was embarking upon my 10th year of nursing. I was completely burned out after working the 2020 version of COVID-19 in a long-term care facility, short-staffed on an overnight shift. I had seen the healthcare field come to shambles right before my eyes; the lack of healthcare availability, the discouraging doubt of families, the disengagement of doctors, the inadvertent foregoing of treating pre-existing illnesses, scarcity of proper equipment or PPE, the overworked underpaid staff, the lonely patient deaths, etc. I had done my share of I.V. antibiotics, hooked up plenty of oxygen concentrators, passed thousands of pills, admitted, discharged, called several hospice companies, held the hands of scared dying patients, documented a chart full of nursing notes, & missed most of my favorite holiday moments. I was done.

When I reached Dr. Coleman, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a nurse anymore, and I had easily come up with several reasons why nursing was no longer for me. The previously mentioned list was just the beginning portion of my “give up” list, but who was I kidding? Giving up had never been in my genes.

While training as Dr. Coleman’s new nurse, I observed his workflow, my tasks, & the patients. Initially, it was a lot to take in, but I managed process it all.

For some, he worked “slow,” but to me, he worked diligently & thoroughly. He was a doctor with patience with his patients. Not only that, but his patients waited for him patiently. Now, that’s a lot of patience.

Most often, individuals are so impatient that they are unwilling to wait more than 30 minutes without becoming rambunctious. However, about 90% of his patients waited without complaint & wore smiles (underneath their mask) when they were finally called to the back to be seen.

I watched as his lead nurse sat at the computer to navigate the chart while he could focus solely on the patients. I saw how he listened therapeutically & intently. I could hear how much patients trusted his medical opinion & diagnoses & heart how much he respected their trust.

In my 10 years of nursing, I had only experienced one other doctor that was this thorough & thoughtful; he not long since retired. This “new world”healthcare system left me concerned about the care of people & the hands I felt like the world was falling in. But, then I met Dr. Coleman.

Patients would tell me stories about how he was the doctor that discovered they had cancer, how was the doctor that discovered a heart attack, & how he was the one that was able to diagnose a long standing mystery. I witnessed for myself how patients would come in & disclose a list of symptoms, & he would “cast a wide net” in attempt to identify a proper diagnosis. Several patients see specialists, but leave their office calling the primary office to seek the medical opinion of Dr. Coleman.

Patients drive hours from other states to see him as primary care, & they do so saying, “I will only see Dr. Coleman.” And I understand exactly why!

His genuine generosity & candor seems to provide some form of immediate sense of ease. Patients leave the office saying, “I feel better now that I’ve talked to him.” He authentic sense of care radiates through. He helps his elderly patients process was happening to make sense of the new diagnosis, & implement a treatment plan.

Since working with Dr. Coleman, my difficult conditions became more complex. I contracted COVID 19 in February 2022, & was life with post-COVID cardiac symptoms including rapid heart rate, what our patients called “winded,” & fatigue. Now, I’ll admit, I had gained my fair share of weight that probably contributed to my worsening respiratory system or cardiac condition. Rather than Dr. Coleman writing me off as overweight (he knows how much I hate the word obese 😅), he referred me to a cardiologist. I attended my cardiology appointment. He barely looked at me, & I could forget about him touching me. I was highly displeased because as a patient, I knew the amount of time that could be spend. I had seen Dr. Coleman do it regularly. Before Dr. Coleman, I had been told 2 simple phrases: “You need to lose weight” & “You need a hysterectomy.” Dr. Coleman did his due diligence by ordering blood tests, urine tests, diagnostics imaging, & specialty referrals. As it turns out, I need much more. He saved my life, all my spending TIME.

I’ve witnessed him lose sleep & come to work early to check on a patient. I’ve taken orders from him to perform an EKG & apply oxygen to an unscheduled patient that walked in off the street. I’ve heard him call the ER to speak directly to the attending physician to give a verbal report. I’ve observed him hold a patient in the office because of a heart rate too slow & hiss unsure if they were safe to leave. He’s talked to insurance companies on the phone to ensure a patient received medication. He’s researched alternatives for medications when a patient reports cost barriers. He’s spoken up & advocated for the impoverished, the uninsured, & justice for work staff.

His innate love for people & understanding of diversity makes him not only a life changing physician, but a life changing person. There are three words that can be attached to Dr. Coleman: kind, caring, & compassionate.

Patients describe him as easy to talk to. I describe him as this, plus add my own razzle dazzle in description, he’s what I call — top tier or elite. He has a patient experience rating of 5 stars on U.S. Health & 4.5 stars on WebMD.

So you see, Dr. Coleman saved my life in more ways than one:

• He restored my faith in humanity.
• He challenged my critical thinking skills.

• He gentrified my love for nursing.
• He deepened my desire to continue learning.
• He redeveloped my view of healthcare.
• He granted me a 2nd chance at life.
• He made me a better nurse, a better employee, & an overall better person!

Everyone in the world should experience Dr. Coleman. He’s the epitome of love & a true representative of healthcare.

Sitting at my desk & being honored to see just a tiny fraction of all the lives he’s touched, lives he’s changed, nurses he’s mentored, & patients he’s treated over the years has been inspiring. He saved my life, & the funny part is, he’s had no idea.

If you enjoyed this story, feel free to buy me a coffee!