No parent looks forward to the situation that my wife and I recently found ourselves in. A few months back, our family doctor noticed a murmur in our five year old’s heart. Could be nothing, he said, or it could require immediate surgery. He ordered an ultrasound and we scheduled an appointment with the pediatric cardiologist.
Needless to say, we approached the appointment with apprehension. First and foremost, we worried for our daughter’s health and what the specialist’s report might hold. Beneath that high-level concern was the layman’s uncertainty of what exactly we were facing—how serious it was and what the options for treatment might be. And then there were the practical anxieties of wondering where you’ll park, whether you’ll be able to find the office, and how the kids will do sitting in the waiting room.
We entered the hospital with a jumbled ball of questions, uncertainties, and anxieties. We left with a master class in effective communication and an inspiring example for those of us who have the enviable vocation of delivering good news.