Tuesday Treasures

As soon as I thought about doing another Tuesday Treasures post, I knew exactly what my treasure was going to be!! Most everybody has had some experience with a doctor; whether it be in the office at a check-up, surgery for a broken bone, breast augmentation :) (I know, wishful thinking), at the hospital having a baby, or any number of reasons. Due to this commonality, we all have been touched by a doctor in one way or another. We have been taught by them, listened to their advise, felt their concern and undoubtedly, felt their love; for, a truly great doctor radiates love in all he does. I have had the great honor to work with such a doctor, Dr. Gregory Gordon. One might ask why I have chosen this particular time to honor a man I have cherished working with for 7 years. Dr. Gordon passed away a few weeks ago from ALS or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS is a chronic, progressive disease marked by gradual degeneration of the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. The disorder causes muscle weakness and atrophy and most often results in death. Doctor Gordon did not, however, go without a fight! He remained faithful and upbeat until the bitter end. For that reason alone, he is my hero!! But I can not leave it at that, for he is my hero for many reasons!

Doctor Gordon was loved by all who knew him. If you were to ask a patient why they entrusted this man with not only their own life but also the life of their unborn child, the answer would probably be unanimous- he made you feel special, like you were his only patient. The bedside manner he had with his patients was truly a gift. He always had a quirky little joke to tell his patients or a funny little saying about the delivery or labor. The patients loved it!! They would laugh and laugh at his jokes, thinking that their doctor was sooo clever!! The nurses would just giggle to themselves, for we had heard that re-cycled joke hundreds of times! :) I often wondered if his returning patients remembered them from their last delivery!! But, that's what we loved about him!! He loved to laugh and make others laugh too! He had such an amazing, contagious smile. Dr. Gordon personified fun and happiness from his head to his toes- literally. You see, Dr. Gordon had a pair of shoes that are, in fact, quite famous with the hospital staff and his patients. He wore these shoes to every delivery- one pink and one blue!! They were a perfect match for his fun and loving personality!

Dr. Gordon was a great example to me in a lot of ways, but the one that stands out the most to me includes his partner, Dr. Judd. These men were and will forever be the best of friends! They were partners for 13 years and have seen each other through thick and thin, good and bad and have never faltered in their friendship. These two men were often caught getting in lots of trouble together. They liked hiding sponges during c-sections (it's very important for our sponge counts to be on!!), moving empty patient beds out to the parking lot (at least they were empty:)), playing phone games with us, just to name a few. These two men were both partners in the office and partners in crime!! It was amazing to see and hear of the great compassion and love Dr. Judd showed his friend during this last stage of Dr. Gordon's life. Not only did he take on all of the deliveries and call shifts, but he helped Dr. Gordon to be able to still see patients at the office. That meant the world to both Dr. Gordon and his patients. Dr. Gordon continued to see patients up until a few days before he passed away. The fact that he couldn't hold himself up, couldn't use his arms, couldn't walk, and at times had a hard time breathing never slowed him down. I can't help but believe that a big majority of why he was able to complete such an amazing feat was because of the support of his true friend, Dr. Judd and their amazing office staff. I also know that the reason why Dr. Judd did all these kind, amazing things was because Dr. Gordon, undoubtedly, had done many things for him as well. They were perfect friends for each other and I know that Dr. Judd misses his cherished friend more than words could possibly explain! But I know that they will see each other again and will have all eternities to cause havoc on all the angel nurses in Heaven! :) I just hope that one day I will be privileged to be one of them! ;) What I want them both to know is that one would be hard-pressed to find a better example of friendship- true blue, would give my life for you, friendship- anywhere!! I cherish my own friends deeper and greater because of your great example, and I thank you both for that.

Well, as you can tell, I could go on and on about this amazing man. He lived his life to the fullest! Even when he could barely hold his head up, he had more strength in his character than most people could ever dream of. I can only hope that I would be so strong! Even though his time here on this earth is over, I believe that he is up in Heaven still helping deliver Heavenly Father's precious babies, just this time from up above! :) Dr. Gordon you are missed and loved beyond measure!!