Author's posts
When heartbreak leads to self-discovery
I think the greatest quality in humans that makes them far superior to other creatures is the ability to think and act on their own free will. But there is another ability that makes us unique: the gift of feeling emotions and the capacity to love. Unc…
How oncologists and patients build lifelong connections
Oncology is a kind of specialty in medicine that involves seeing the same patients for many years. This can be beneficial when your patient is cured in cases of limited-stage disease or if the disease is stable on treatment for a long period of time in…
A day in the life: the unseen struggles of an oncology resident
Yesterday, I couldn’t get up in time in the morning and had to rush to the hospital without breakfast. I was just afraid of getting noticed by anyone from my department that I was a little late. When I reached the outpatient department (OPD), I j…
Why doctors rely on nurses more than you think
I think we spend more working hours with nurses than with any other colleagues. They not only solve the problems of the patients, but most of the time, they even know more than doctors about the progress of every patient. I really rely on their assessm…
Geriatric oncology: challenges and rewards of treating elderly cancer patients
If anyone asks me, “What part of oncology do you hate the most?” I would definitely answer without much thought, “geriatric oncology.” I think that’s the most difficult specialty because it needs extraordinary skills and p…
A simple poem, and a profound message: Exploring Wendy Cope’s The Orange
Wendy Cope is a poet of modern times. She was born in Erith, Kent. She spent fifteen years teaching primary school in London after graduating from college. She has published five collections of her poems: Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis in 1986, Serious…
Challenges of the past: a physician’s story
My friend is a young physician working in the same hospital as me. We have known each other since childhood. She lived next door to me until we both started high school when she moved to another locality in the same city, but we remained in touch. We s…
Navigating grief and stress: Embracing catharsis
Recently, a very young colleague of mine who worked in the same hospital as me passed away from sudden cardiac arrest. We were shocked and deeply saddened by his death. A few days later, I met a common friend of ours who told me that he was under a lot…
A Pakistani oncologist’s journey: Navigating commute challenges
I’ve always been afraid of driving. My home is quite far away from my hospital, and for the past eight years, I’ve been traveling via Uber for my daily commute. I don’t have a good memory of roads, lanes, and streets, even in my own c…
Finding joy beyond medicine: a tale of pet companionship
My question to all the health care workers is, “Have you ever kept pets or tried to keep them?” If the answer is “yes,” then you are indeed very lucky. I think there are only two sources that can bring utter joy to humans in thi…
