Lessons from the Bedside
by
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Lonnie sits and reflects upon his sixty-two years worth of determination and experience. Deep in thought he is unable to decide whether or not to return to the operating room. His abdomen is wide open. The odious scent of infection permeates each breath. He dreams of another place. He, like everyone does at least one time in their life, wishes for something he cannot have.
Impossible Trade
A look in his eyes as they locked on me,
Determination like a tiger,
Enduring as an old oak tree.
Wondering, if this bed will forgive all sinning.
Confused, memories departed.
Thirsty, wishing to taste a new beginning.
How many yesterdays would he trade for one tomorrow?
Eyes still locked in fear,
Alone he laid in sorrow.
Nineteen years old but all grown up, he asks himself if he will ever leave this tiny room. Each moment, he wonders if he does leave what he will do and what it will mean. He ponders all of the tough questions and attempts to integrate his experience into his solutions. He looks to himself for the inspiration to go on.
The Box
The cuts in my throat throb,
My hands blistered and blood-stained,
Mucous coats my entire body,
Chemicals flow through my veins.
I must be alone,
My voice echoes with disdain,
One more day has passed,
I wonder if I am insane.
Two weeks until nineteen,
Sweat pours from my brow,
I cannot stop shaking,
I ask myself how.
I have no more blasts,
I have no cells at all,
I wait for forgiveness,
I stare at the barren walls.
This room I cannot leave,
Peace I cannot find,
My body cannot keep up,
As I fight for piece of mind.
My eyes are leaking,
My skin is shedding,
My heart is begging,
Where am I heading?
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About the Book
Lessons from the Bedside
Lessons from the Bedside is distributed each year to entering freshmen medical students at the University of Florida and many other medical schools. It has also quickly become an important and favorite read for students of all professions, as well as for patients, family members, and anyone who has encountered the challenges of disease. The book was featured on the Harvard University website A Window on My Mind, where patients and family members use writing to express their feelings about disease. Included in the book are the illustrations of Melissa Anne Bloch, who as a medical student received the book and was so inspired by it that she drew images to capture the words. Lessons from the Bedside is a classic that belongs on the shelf of every house, within reaching distance of those who need inspiration or are suffering from the direct of indirect effects of disease.
About the Author
Michael Scott Okun entered medical school at the age of twenty after completing a degree in history at Florida State University. During his medical studies he founded Kaleidoscope, an interdisciplinary group of students dedicated to bringing art to the bedside of patients. He began writing Lessons From the Bedside on his first day of classes. The book chronicles four years of experiences and tells the real story of what medical school is like. Prose and poems were transcribed onto napkins, books covers, progress notes, patient order sheets, and note cards as the author experienced the emotions that inspired the words. He tucked his writings snugly into his lab coat pockets and later removed them to compile the book Lessons from the Bedside.