On the day we talked about this issue, he had just accompanied me during one of his rounds. One of the patients we had visited had terminal cancer, which not only became immediately obvious as the atmosphere of the room emanated an inevitable sense of gloom but the anxiety on the relatives faces were difficult to miss as they talked, bombarding and pleading at the same time, with our doctor when he came in.

Throughout the whole ordeal, in addition to the sympathies for the family, I could not stop wondering at the internal resolve and strength needed for our doctor to manage such an ordeal on a regular basis. To make things more unreal, that same morning, our doctor's son was just rushed in another hospital for an infection that had come about from a recent surgery. I wondered whether I would be able to handle and balance such emotionally-rich situations at the same time.