Recha Bergstrom

Doctors in most medical specialties spend a significant amount of their time interacting with people, yet medicine is considered one of the loneliest professions. I’ve heard this at several surprising points in the past few years from physicians I would not have suspected felt isolated. Over these last years, there have been increasing opportunities to find meaningful connections with other physicians through online communities, some of which have in-person gatherings and meetings.

In 2002 a fire broke out on an oil tanker hundreds of miles south of Hawaii. All eight of the crew members were successfully rescued, but, as it was later realized, the captain’s dog, Hokget, was left behind. The two-year-old terrier was alone on the tanker, floating around in the Pacific Ocean. The lost dog story made headlines, and people donated thousands of dollars to the Hawaiian Humane Society to save Hokget.

“Holly, we’re really worried about you. You’ve been sleeping for days. Let us take you to the school clinic.” I looked up at a figure in the bedroom door surrounded by a light that hurt my eyes. It was my college roommate, a sweet girl from North Carolina who had put up with my shit for most of our senior year.