Dr. Richard Brian Hey “got it.” He simply got it.
He knew, intrinsically, why we do what we do–he knew why we tick, and most importantly, he knew how to explain it so that his patients “got it,” too. Y’know, it’s one thing for someone to be there for you; everyone has that one person who was there for them during their darkest days–and Richard was, indeed, there for me during the darkest, most desperate hour of my life to date. Friends are important, and their gentle words of reassurance are equally important. But Dr. Hey was much more than just a friend with a pat on the back and a “everything is gonna be alright.”
Not only did Dr. Hey tell you that everything was gonna be alright, but he could tell you how–precisely–everything was gonna be alright. My grief is assuaged somewhat by the fact that he performed this amazing miracle not just for me, but for hundreds of patients over the years. It is assuaged further by the fact that I was amazingly fortunate to have seen Dr. Hey several months before he passed, and was able to articulate to him these very thoughts; I am a much better person for having Dr. Hey in my life and owe him a debt of gratitude that, sadly, I can no longer repay.
A brilliant light has been extinguished; a light that led me and so many others to a peace and profound understanding of ourselves, and it is truly a gift beyond measure and without equal.
Goodbye, Richard. Thank you; thank you for lighting the way for us.
November 10th, 2010 at 11:19 am
I’m sorry for your loss, and I understand completely. My doctor died suddenly, in his early 40’s, due to complications from abdominal surgery, and I was devastated. Still am, and it’s been over a year now. How do you replace such a person? You can’t, is how, but you have to make the effort. Starting all over again with a stranger is daunting, to say the least, especially when that person was a friend as well as a physician.
Heartfelt sympathy.
July 30th, 2011 at 2:10 am
he was my dad! and he is miss greatly. still cant believe he is gone.