When I moved to North Carolina I was sad to leave behind the best doctor I had ever had the pleasure of working with. Scott Jamison, M.D. is unlike most doctors in that he limits his practice and gives his patients the time and care that not only make us feel important, but allows him to give us with the best medical care possible. I held out little hope of finding a doctor in Greenville who would come close to providing the level of care to which I was accustomed. It was frustrating after I moved here because no doctor could take me as a patient for five months. In a city with a medical school, it seems hard to believe that establishing oneself with a physician could be so difficult. My doctor here is Kirk Philpot and I have come to love and respect him as much as I did Dr. Jamison. When Hannah died, he was a godsend in so many ways. Like Dr. Jamison, he listens and cares and is tenacious in diagnosing ailments and illnesses. Last fall I received a letter from Dr. Philpot's office stating that he was having to limit his practice because his little girl's cancer had resurfaced. My heart sank because Riley's cancer, while extremely rare, had returned, an even rarer occurence. Generally, children beat the cancer and it does not come back. Riley's returned with a vengeance and she had to have a kidney removed. She also had to undergo grueling chemotherapy and will continue on this course of treatment for another year.
Early this afternoon I received email from Terry asking me if I was going to attend the function hosted by Riley's Army. I had never heard of Riley's Army but went online to investigate. It turns out that the Philpotts have created a nonprofit organization to aid families whose children have cancer. You can read about it at www.rileysarmy.com. Please take a minute to visit this site.
Greg had already invited us to dinner so I wasn't sure I could attend the event that was being held at the local Applebee's. It was scheduled to end at nine and I wasn't sure we'd make it in time. Besides, I knew that Applebee's--along with all of the other restaurants in Greenville--had been closed by the Health Department. It seems that fecal coliform has been found in the local water supply and there was a "boil only" order. Yes, we all have boiled water to put in the refrigerator and to make ice cubes, etc. [It is predicted that the "boil only" recommendation will be lifted soon, so not to worry.]
As we finished dinner at Greg's, I asked what time is was. "8:20," I was told. I mused that it was probably too late to go across town. Greg assured me that we could make it and told me to get the car out because we were going. So, we did ... and am I ever glad. When we arrived, Dr. Philpot gave me a hug and thanked me for coming. He told us all the ways that we could help Riley's Army, and we accepted several of his offers. Keep your fingers crossed. Maybe one of us will win the raffle. More than that, it will hearten you to know that hundreds of people in this community are reaching out to help children battling cancer and their families.
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