why i am a 25 year old doctor. or at least look like one. at least to the eyes of my darling patient.

this was a conversation on whatsapp between a patient of mine and a staff nurse on my palliative team. the patient's nickname is "baby" and she is 10 years old with  congenital heart disease. initially when she was referred to us, she was so shy and i had a real hard time getting her to talk to me. her condition was slowly deteriorating, and her mom revealed to me that baby was becoming very moody and was often angry towards her mom and her older sisters. in order to get her to talk to me and gain her trust, i asked baby to come up with any questions that she may have for me. they can be about anything. i promised that i will answer all her questions or will at least try and find the answers for her. when i saw her 2 days later, she had written 6 questions for me, 3 of which were actually about her mood swings and whether they were related to her heart disease. i was happy that i managed to get straight to what had concerned her mother and  me, and i addressed the questions and explained to her the best way i could. according to her mom when we followed up on her recently, baby's mood has been much better at home now, and i'd like to think that our little q&a session helped her with that, even if a bit. 
as for the other 3 questions, well surprisingly, they were all about me.
she asked what my full name is, whether i am married, and my age. when i told her my age, she didnt believe me, stating that i look younger, and i laughed (happily, of course! i know i know.. she's only 10, what does she know about how 40 year-olds are supposed to look like, but hey.. i'm taking it in. or rather-sucking it in. get it? haha). anyway, that was more than a month ago, and at the time it was only she, her mom and myself during that meeting because she was too shy to even let my nurse in. but the nurse continued to visit her everyday while she was in ward, and later even visited her at home after she was discharged, and they have been keeping touch via whatsapp. when i had to go on leave for 2 weeks after my recent miscarriage, we had to postpone her clinic appointment with me, and that's why she asked if i was well too during the whatsapp chat. it's so amazing that even though she herself is unwell (she doesnt even go to to school anymore because she tires easily) she still thinks about my health. here's to you, your health and your happiness, darling baby. God bless you, not just for being so naive and kind for saying i look 25 ;), but for being the sweet strong thoughtful you, as a reminder for the rest of us to love life and always be thankful.