I cannot imagine a more interesting way to wake up on New Year’s Day 2021 than partially blind in my left eye. Yup. Went to sleep the night before fine – no trauma – and woke up not able to see. And it was not only New Year’s Day, but it was heading into a weekend.
And yet, by 11am, Dr. Hu had been kind enough to take my ophthalmologist‘s call and two hours later, opened his office for me so he could diagnose that, at 49, my retina had detached and I would need emergency surgery. Let me be clear – I was not a pre-existing patient. I was a stranger off the street and I think we can all agree, after 2020, doctors and nurses and healthcare workers had a right to a well deserved day off. By 4pm, I was scheduled for surgery on Monday at 7am; by the end of New Year’s Day, we had been given the personal cell phones of the entire office in case we needed anything over the weekend. Dr. Hu personally texted to check in and be our point as he handed me off to his partner Dr. Feistmann who would perform the surgery.
Ok. I’m thinking this is just one pretty exceptional doctor, but then I met his partner Dr. Feistmann who practiced the same gracious generosity with his talent, his time and his bedside manner. He was straightforward, but compassionate; insanely confident, but never in the god complex way. He knew your questions before you asked them, but was kind enough to process the questions as if he was hearing them for the first time from you, not the 1000th time from every other patient before you. And just like Dr. Hu, he gave us his cell and his email and he responds to our questions oftentimes within minutes; sometimes in a few hours but always in a crazy fast timeframe given I have seen both his surgery schedule and his office schedule firsthand and this guy doesn’t look like he has time to breath more less answer why my eye is watering.
The practice in his office is equally efficient and wonderful to work with.
So there you have it. These guys are beyond awesome and while I am excited that my eyesight is coming back and we may get to a time when I won’t need to see them again, I will be beyond bummed to have to say goodbye. Dr. Feistmann and his team made the most frightening medical experience of my life a reason to celebrate the humanity and human connection of an amazing set of doctors and nurses. I hope your retina doesn’t detach, but if it does, please place your trust in these wonderful people.