Discharge

Cathy was first referred to Neurology when she was four months old.  Her seizures began a month later and we were soon making all too frequent trips to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  As she got older, as she continued to develop and thrive, the frequency of our visits lessened.

Our neurologist was the perfect doctor for us - we first met Dr. Clancy when Cathy was about six months old.  While everyone asked questions about Cathy, he's the first doctor that asked me how I was doing and it was clear that he really wanted to know.  I was instantly at ease with him.  When we needed to transfer Cathy's care (we spent two years with the most fantastic fellow, though as she narrowed her area of emphasis, she stopped seeing patients in the general neurology clinic), there was never a question as to who I wanted her to see.

In February, Cathy could run and jump.  She could carry on a conversation, she was 18 months off her anticonvulsant with no sign of relapse.  I shared with Rich on that last drive to Philadelphia that I wanted to discuss the possibility of bringing her in only once a year.  Knowing that Cathy would be starting school in the fall, the last thing I wanted to do was pull her out twice a year for doctor's visits, no matter how much I loved our doctor.

Instead, he brought it up first.  He told us that there was every reason to believe that Cathy's seizures were a part of her past.  He told us he would always be Cathy's neurologist, that we should not hesitate to call if we needed anything, but there was no reason for us to continue to drive so far just to tell him how great our little girl was doing.

He gave us his email address, told us that he'd love to see Cathy socially when we are visiting family in the city (which I will happily do) and then he sent us on our way.

I couldn't have asked for a better visit or a better outcome for my little girl.