My program director

We were more used to senior doctors acting like the mean guy from house. We were not used to a program director who modelled himself on oprah.

We resented and rebuffed his every attempt to be involved with our mental health, our cruelty to juniors, our violations of the bell commission (working too hard) and our infighting with peers.

I remembered right after 9/11 when people suddenly noticed for the first time how many arab residents we had and how they all wore beards.

It was probably no coincidence that our program director suddenly started sporing a beard himself. Despite my long held cynicism against him i was kind of touched.

Yesterday i heard he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I was absolutely floored .... i thought back on all the important occasions on which we interacted. And for some reason i only remembered the ones where i was somewhat snide. I really hope i have a bad memory.