From the patient, I’m learning that …

“I’d like to be towards others as cheerful as he was for me.” “I wish I could avoid requesting clinical tests that have the only aim of reassuring the patient, since they belong to defensive medicine, and are potentially dangerous, such as in the case of imaging diagnostics.” “Listening is the first step to trust … and trust towards the physician is the piece of the puzzle that can allow a cure.” “Every case has its peculiarities. More complex cases are certainly the most challenging. Exceptional cases require we use unconventional approaches.” “[Patient name initial] taught me how much strength there is in despair, how much courage in continuing to live, despite there being many, many reasons to let go.”

The experience of writing

“The parallel chart is the only way that I could have expressed all the humanity of a relationship between people that goes far beyond the simple doctor–patient contact.” “Pleasantly surprised … I felt closer to my patients.” “I felt like someone who needs to communicate their results to others and succeeded in doing so.” “I felt frustrated in realizing that the solution to an acute problem was only a fraction of what the patient would have needed. However, having told his story I also felt relieved: although the story of a man like many others – his will not be lost.” “I felt the importance of my choices and my behavior on others and the influence of others on my choices and my behaviors.”