He was a brilliant anesthesiologist at the top of his career when, one day, he could not intubate a neonate and was worried. The next day, his family thought he did not look well and took him to the emergency room. A CT scan found a brain stem tumor, revealing the cause of his difficulties – “elevated intracranial pressure.” In the course of only 48 hours, his life had changed. Instead of worrying about his patients, his family was trying to find a neurosurgeon who would agree to operate on him. He was only 48 years old.
Another anesthesiologist fell one day while leaving work and later found out his fall and bony fracture was due to a metastatic tumor. He underwent surgery, chemo, and radiation, and his life too had changed. A young anesthesiologist started a first job after a fellowship, but a domestic situation led to stress and...