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The Village Doctor Newsletter – Week of November 7, 2022

November!?

Where has this year gone? The weeks and months have passed by like a Halloween ghost… and now we’re approaching the season of gratitude and too much turkey stuffing. Amazing. In the spirit of gratitude, I’d like to give my friends and colleagues at Stanford Emergency Medicine a shout out. I’ll start with my colleague, Dr. Don Schreiber, whose retirement we celebrated the other evening. He joined me twenty eight years ago (!) when I was full time in the Stanford Emergency Department. We enjoyed a glass of wine and shared stories about handwriting on paper patient charts, looking things up in books, and using landlines to call consultants down to the ED. How times have changed. Here a recent photo of the #squad from Don’s retirement party:

 

Now the baton has been passed to the next generation of emergency physicians, and I’d like to give one of them a shout out here as well, Dr. Al’ai Alvarez, who recently was awarded the inaugural John Levin Excellence in Physician Leadership Award for his advocacy for diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as his extensive efforts promoting physician wellness.

“Al’ai approaches his life with 10-million watt intensity,” said Marc Jones, chair of the Stanford Health Care Board of Directors, at the annual awards dinner, which was held in person for the first time since 2019. “His enthusiasm and excitement are infectious. His authenticity, compassion and sincerity create connections that make a real difference in people’s lives and within our organization.”

Strong work, Dr. Alvarez!

And speaking of younger doctors, does anyone recognize this guy?

Feeling grateful for so much. Including all of you.

Eric

Eric Weiss, MD, November 7, 2022

12 TIPS FOR TEACHING CHILDREN GRATITUDE

By: Kathleen Berchelmann, MD, FAAP  *  Adapted from healthychildren.org

Tired of bickering, jealousy, and selfishness? Kids are naturally materialistic and self-serving– but the good news is that gratitude can be taught. And from gratitude flows joy. Learn about how can you teach gratitude to your children!

Read more

FAVORITE FALL RECIPES

Fall is the season of abundance and cooking with your family and friends is a great way to cultivate joy and spice (pumpkin spice) in your kitchen.

Learn about our two favorite falls recipes!

Read more

In keeping with the theme of gratitude, I’d like to draw your attention to a wonderful non-profit organization, Little Wishes. Founded by two pediatric oncology/PICU nurses in 2003, Little Wishes helps prevent patients from losing their identity to illness by tapping into their passions.  Young patients may identify what makes them happy and wish for something that will fill their hearts and brighten their darkest days.

What makes Little Wishes unique is that a patient may wish for something every two weeks giving them a positive event to look forward to. Some children spend hours searching online for their wish, providing a sense of control and healing distraction from pain. Receiving wishes also helps little patients replace anxiety and fear with hope and joy.

All wishes take place in the hospital and are delivered with fanfare by hospital staff.  Milestones spent in the hospital are also celebrated including birthdays, graduations, and completion of treatment, creating a sense of community. In addition, Little Wishes provides comfort in a child’s final days surrounding them with their most cherished belongings and providing memory making kits and keepsake lockets for the family to hold on to forever.

Dr. Milt McColl and I had the privilege of attending this year’s Little Wishes fundraising event in Atherton. We were both inspired and touched by stories by Founder Laura Euphrat (pictured center, below) and several of the Little Wishes recipients. If you have any interest in learning more, or perhaps contributing to the fine organization, please let me know.

Eric

Again, TVD Newsletter is a labor of love. If you enjoy reading this, please share widely! Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Please subscribe here.

*****

Yours, in health and resilience,

Eric and the TVD MD team…