I’ve given half my life to medicine.
And medicine wouldn’t give my husband a chest x-ray.

Some kids stole a truck yesterday.
And they almost stole my husband’s life alongside it.

(1)

Going over 80 miles an hour, they hit a total of six cars, eventually flipping their car into my husband’s. His car then flipped over two lanes of traffic on the interstate, over the guardrail and onto the adjacent service road, eventually landing on the passenger side.

(2)

He was conscious, and with the help of bystanders, able to extricate through the broken sunroof of the car, and taken by ambulance to a level II trauma center.

(3)

Within minutes of his arrival, and without a BASIC trauma evaluation, that level II trauma center arranged to discharge my husband. ATLS protocols were not followed, standards of care were not performed…they didn’t even offer a chest x-ray.

(4)

My feelings today have been such an odd mixture of gratitude & betrayal. Gratitude my husband is alive & well. Betrayal from a system I have devoted so much of my life. Betrayal from a system to which my husband has sacrificed so much of HIS life, for MY training & MY work.

(5)

My husband shouldn’t have to be married to a trauma surgeon to get even the basics of medical care. But, yesterday, that is what happened. Because no matter how many hours, days, and years I have given to my MD, my MD doesn’t protect my husband from his blackness.

(6)

I wish I could say my situation was unique. That it was a one-off. That surely this wasn’t because of the color of my husband’s skin. But I can’t say that. Because it isn’t true. Systemic racism in medicine is just that… it is systemic... and it is racism.

(7)

Papers have been written, data have been presented, courses are often even mandated.

And yet the fact remains.

The hospital is not the same for my spouse as it is for yours… if yours is white.

(fin)

And to clarify, he did end up getting the proper evaluation because I requested it. Because, when they called me to tell me they were discharging him, I disabused them of that notion.

For people asking, but how are you "sure" this is racism? Because this is how the papers are written, showing inadequate care is given to POC. It is a pattern and a collection of individual instances. It doesn't have to involve the "n" word to be racism.

I've been contemplating all day whether to share. But if I don't take my part, to help shed light. Then I am complicit with a system that treats my husband differently than it treats me.

I'm not interested in "going after" anyone, I'm not interested in anything other than highlighting the issue. Systemic racism which all too often gets explained away - oh they didn't know, oh that was just random. Racism isn't random in this country, not even in medicine.

Again, please. This did not happen in Colorado, and I am not interested in going after an individual hospital or dr. The hospital ended up providing standard care, after my phone calls. This is not an individual hospital problem. My only interest is highlighting systemic racism.