Manoop S. Bhutani, MD, FACP, FASGE, FACG, AGAF, Doctor Honoris Causa
Walter H. Wriston Distinguished Professor
Director of Endoscopic Research and Development
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas
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I work as a gastroenterologist and endoscopist at a busy tertiary cancer center.

Many patients being treated there are very sick: Platelets are low, absolute neutrophil counts are creeping to the bottom, skin may be pale from anemia, yellow from jaundice, or devoid of hair. They have anxiety and fear as the sword of human mortality is dangling over them while they have hope of beating the dreadful curse of cancer.

Extra bandwidth from healthcare practitioners is required to take care of these patients, with healthcare practitioners themselves being reminded of the fragility of human life many times over during the course of a day at work. To get through the day (or night) taking care of cancer patients, we have to focus mindfully on the safety and quality of the procedure or job at hand while we provide compassionate care for our patients.

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When gastroenterologists perform endoscopic procedures back-to-back all day with our medical team of nurses, nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologists, and medical assistants, we may not always have time to reflect on the life stories of our patients, their emotions, fears, or hopes for the future. But after one such busy day in the endoscopy unit, after I had decided to leave my car at the hospital due to inclement weather with thunderstorms and nightfall already settled in, I waited in the main lobby of my hospital for a taxi and saw a female patient in a wheelchair that was being pushed by a man that I presumed to be her husband or significant other. With no endoscope in my hand to focus on performing a medical procedure, I watched them and reflected on what their life may have been, what they might be thinking or feeling, and what the future holds for them.

I went to bed that night thinking about this couple I had seen before I had hopped into the taxicab. The next day, I penned the poem below about my imagination of their life that I would like to share with the readers of Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News.

The weather was stormy, clouds were dark.
It was raining hard.
I waited in the hospital lobby for my ride,
He rolls her in the wheelchair with a slow stride.
Today she is pale and she is frail,
But he remembers her as a newlywed bride.
He lovingly plants a kiss on the top of her head,
Inadvertently moving back her cap a little,
Creating glimpses of her bald scalp with short sparse hair.
Hair that has been enduring the chemo, becoming limp and brittle.
He touches her arm and neck with loving caresses,
Remembering the days of her flowing tresses.
She wonders of the future and reminisces about the past,
In front of her sad and tired eyes,
The movie of her life is running too fast.
Her car has just pulled into the front,
He takes her by the hand with another behind her waist,
She slides in the car slowly and without haste.
The pair disappear in the dark rainy night, out of sight.
Tomorrow may be another dark day of storm and despair,
But she hopes that it will be a day that is sunny and bright.
And he whispers softly, “Hope Sustains Life.”

This article is from the March 2025 print issue.