From the
President
Wayne Tuckson, MD
GLMS President | [email protected]
REDEMPTION and Service
A
t this time of year, I particularly
enjoy tales of personal redemp-
tion, validation of the human
experience and calls to service.
For me, no other story encap-
sulates this better than Charles Dickens’ “A
Christmas Carol.” I consider myself some-
what of a connoisseur of this work, favoring
the book, the 1939 Orson Welles’ Mercury
Radio Theatre broadcast, and two film ver-
sions: the 1984 George C. Scott vehicle and
the 1992 rendering by The Muppets.
“Are these the shadows of the things that
will be, or are they shadows of things that
may be, only?” Scrooge asks the last spirit.
“Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends,
to which, if persevered in, they must lead.
But if the courses be departed from, the
ends will change.” 1
This epiphany reflects back to an ex-
change between Scrooge and Jacob Marley’s
ghost. The ghost simultaneously rebukes
Scrooge’s admiration of Marley’s placing
business over mankind while explaining
the source of his torture, “Mankind was
my business. The common welfare was my
business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and
benevolence, were, all, my business.” 1
At the intersection of Jefferson and Pres-
ton Streets, under the new bridge that has
brought increased prosperity to both sides
of the river, there is a growing city of home-
less people. Some are there because of prior
omissions or trespasses, and I suspect that a
good many suffer a multitude of infirmities,
ailments, social ills and economic struggles.
We have shelters and we have housing for
the poor, but they are in short supply and
do not meet our current needs.
Few will argue the need and importance
of investing in business and local infrastruc-
ture, yet too often we balk at doing the same
for our neighbors. Somehow, those in need
are demonized or portrayed in the most
negative light possible, when in truth many
of us, were it not for timing or having the
appropriate resources, could be in the same
or similar predicaments.
I am dismayed by the number of home-
less amputees that I see on street corners and
in the parks. I wonder how many of those
amputations could have been prevented
and what the financial and social costs are
for their continued care. A 2008 Universi-
ty of Louisville study found that for every
chronically homeless person that is housed,
the city would save $26,146 per year. 2 The
bulk of these savings were derived from
decreased spending on criminal justice and
health care. Investment in human capital
makes both economic and social sense.
There is a volunteer position for every-
one. While some of us may be plumbers,
carpenters, electricians or painters, we are
doctors and there is a need for our expertise
and participation. Yes, there are constraints
upon our time, but there are opportunities
for us to get involved and help.
There are several area physicians who
go above and beyond to meet a need in our
community. Dr. Michael Imburgia staffs a
free cardiology clinic once a month and
then again as needed. Dr. Erica Sutton is the
director of Surgery on Sunday Louisville, a
coalition of physicians, nurses, hospitals,
and surgical centers in our area. Finally,
there is Dr. Charlotte Gay Stites, found-
er of Smoketown Wellness Center, whose
mission is to build a culture of health by
providing clinical care to children with a
focus on healthy lifestyle behaviors for the
entire family.
We may not all be like Drs. Imburgia,
Sutton and Stites, but we can either assist
them or volunteer with other organizations,
such as these, supported by the GLMS and
GLMS Foundation:
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Families for Effective Autism Treat-
ment
The Healing Place
Hand in Hand Ministries
Supplies Over Seas
Give for Good Louisville
New Directions Housing Corporation
Seed to Oaks
Society for the Prevention of Aggres-
siveness and Violence in Adolescents
St. Vincent de Paul
Volunteers of America
Those who have worked on food lines,
or performed other charitable deeds during
the holidays say that they are changed by the
experience. However, this can’t stop once
the holidays end, for as The Salvation Army
says “Need has no season.”
There is no greater gift than the giving of us.
To those who have stepped up and accepted
the challenge to help, I say thank you. To
those of us who are waiting for the right
time, I say that it is now.
Dr. Tuckson is a practicing colon and rectal
surgeon.
DECEMBER 2018
5