Maureen Dowd, "The Boy Who Wanted to Fly": A Tragic Loss

I probably visit our family doctor once in about two years, and despite the fact that I just turned 58, I don't bother to go for regular checkups. Yes, I know that I'm gambling with my health and setting a horrible example for my three children. What you don't know can hurt you.

In February 2011, I developed a high fever accompanied with severe pains, and reluctantly decided to see our doctor. Whereas I suspected flu, our doctor instantly diagnosed a bacterial infection, sent me for blood and urine tests, and started me on antibiotics. The next morning he called me on my cell phone: the blood tests had come back, my leucocytes had reached an astronomical level, and I needed to go to the hospital immediately. "Can it wait until the afternoon?" I asked. "No," he replied, "you could die of sepsis."

More than a year ago, I described my hospital stay in another context (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.co.il/2011/02/israel-apartheid-e-coli-and-jimmy.html). Bottom line: after a week of intravenous antibiotics, my fever finally abated, and I was able to go home.

Today, Maureen Dowd has written an important New York Times op-ed entitled "The Boy Who Wanted to Fly" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/opinion/sunday/dowd-the-boy-who-wanted-to-fly.html), concerning the tragic death of 12-year-old Rory Staunton. Rory, a brilliant, inquisitive and empathetic child, cut his elbow playing in the school gym and sadly died of septic shock from a strep infection. Dowd writes:

"Despite the cut, severe leg pain, blotchy skin and other clues pointing to sepsis, Rory’s pediatrician surmised that the vomiting, 102-degree fever, 140 pulse and 36 breaths a minute spelled a stomach bug and sent him to the NYU Langone Medical Center emergency room. Doctors there discharged Rory with an antinausea drug, even though his vital signs were alarming. The lab tests that were ordered came back three hours later showing abnormal production of white blood cells, a sign that infection could be raging, but that red flag was ignored.

. . . .

By Friday, Rory’s body was covered with blue streaks, and a touch made him scream. When Ciaran reached the pediatrician, she advised going back to the E.R. Rory was put in intensive care, where doctors valiantly tried to save his life, even suggesting amputating his nose and toes. But he was turning purple and black."

First and foremost, my condolences go out to Rory's family. It is hard to fathom the pain of losing a child, and my prayers go out to them.

But I also find myself asking what we, as parents without medical educations, can do to protect the lives of our children, particularly in impersonal medical settings. Regrettably "house calls" almost no longer exist.

Today, it is said that we are on the cusp of "personalized medicine," i.e. customization of healthcare based upon individual genetic codes. But what is the value of such personalized medicine without the caring, personalized intervention of healthcare professionals?

I wish I had answers.