I’ve been in this game of medical wife for 8 long years now. In all this time, I would sometimes stumble upon a great story that another wife had heard about or from her husband and how it all hit home and made the long hours (both at work and away from family) worth it. Yesterday, that moment finally happened to me.
Last week, Doc came home and mentioned this rough case about a little girl who had gotten a peanut in her lung. She was a little over a year old. He didn’t mention anything else, other than they were able to take care of her and that she would recover.
Last night, a friend emailed me asking if Doc was available to do her anesthesia during her due date. She was telling me how her husband, a third year med student, was raving about Doc. I emailed her back to answer her question, and curiosity got to me. I asked her if her husband had recently worked with Doc, or if he had just heard that he was doing a great job?
Today, she emailed me back to tell me that her husband is in surgery right now and that last week he was in a case when Doc was taking care of this little girl who had a peanut in her lungs. She then said that her husband told her, “[Doc] did awesome.. like he was the one who kept her alive" during the procedure. My modest husband left out a crucial part of this picture for me. I’m just glad I got the info from someone else.
Hearing this makes me happy. First, I want to say that I am love to be at home with my kids and only work part time. I cherish all the moments I get with them, including the ability to be involved in all the important things in their lives. Some people react when they hear that I have a husband that is a doctor and that I stay at home like I live some entitled life. They don’t realize that we barely make more than the average teacher. Yes, someday we will make more, but that’s not been our life in the past 8 years. Instead it has been the accumulation of huge debt, and the absence, many times, of our husband/father. We love our lives and would never change a single thing if we could.
Second, it makes me realize how important my staying home is to our family. Guys, I get to work at home to make our home life as quiet and organized as possible so that my husband can go out and save lives!! How exciting is that? I’m so proud to know that in supporting my husband and his dreams of a medical career, that I am also enabled to indirectly help him save lives!! Children’s lives!!
I celebrate that and hope that all of you out there who do for your family feel that exhilaration in doing so.
Next on my list? Pick up the kid from school! ;-)
