Careless Check-Up

One of our congregation, H, had chemotherapy for breast cancer. This was unsuccessful, and was followed by radiation therapy. This is the story she told me. She presented herself at the hospital for her first check-up, a few weeks later. A trainee doctor asked her, without examining her, "When would you like to see us again? In six months? Four?" H said, "You are the doctor, you should know. Make it three." A supervising doctor looked in. At a distance, she said, "Are you cured? Lift up your T-shirt!" H lifted her T-shirt. The supervising doctor said, "You look fine!" H said, "Don't you want to do a mammogram?" The trainee doctor said, "It's OK, we have that already." H said, "But that was before my chemotherapy." End of consultation. Next patient, please. Sadly, H died of cancer, the following year.