I just have to share this story with my friends. I am so blessed to be a faculty member of FSU College of Medicine. I could not be prouder of our 8 graduating seniors here at the Daytona Campus. This is an email that I just sent to my Dean regarding one of my students:

I would like to nominate Mai Vo for the Regional Campus Dean’s Award. Mai’s dedication to patient care was obvious to me as she began her rotation in Psychiatry as a third year student. She quickly became an integral part of the treatment team, and contributed in a very significant way to the clinical care of psychiatric patients. Her attending noted specifically her keen interest in learning, as well as her attention to the details of her patients’ medical illnesses. Very early on in her rotation, Mai was exceptional at treating the whole patient. As I observed her with patients, I was similarly impressed by her ability to manage all aspects of patient care. Even though she was rotating on Psychiatry, she was always looking out for the non-psychiatric needs of her patients, often suggesting consultations that proved critical to clinical outcomes. At the time, I had absolutely no idea that I would be observing these same outstanding clinical skills from the vantage point of spouse of a patient instead of Clerkship Director.

Last month, my husband was hospitalized with massive bilateral pulmonary emboli. I happened to run into Mai in the doctor’s lounge, where she was having lunch with her Cardiology attending. As we discussed Ed’s situation, her attending offered to see my husband. So off we went to my husband’s hospital bed, and Mai proceeded to take his history. Just as she was ready to place her stethoscope on my husbands back, she immediately took notice of a mole. She completed her cardiovascular and lung exams, but then proceeded to compare that mole to the others. She was clearly concerned about the mole, and advised a dermatology consult. Her attending naturally was focused on his specialty, and we participated in an interesting discussion of Ed’s stable cardiovascular status. But I was mostly interested in Mai’s assessment. Part of me felt like a proud mama duck as I watched one of my students venture out and make her own clinical recommendations and design her own treatment plan for her patient. At the same time, here was someone whose clinical judgment I respect, who was telling me that she suspected cancer in MY HUSBAND. Naturally, I was terrified and scheduled the dermatology appointment within days of his discharge.

The dermatology nurse practitioner gave us the straight talk—she was ruling out malignant melanoma. And sure enough, the following Thursday, I got that call that no wife ever wants to get—my husband telling me that he has malignant melanoma. Two awful words that mean so many things to a Psychiatrist who has walked the end stages of this disease with too many patients over the years. But the next two words that my husband said provided immediate relief to the growing anxiety in the pit of my stomach—IN SITU. Malignant melanoma in situ. 99% curable. Another bullet dodged. And with that relief, came an overwhelming sense of gratitude and a new appreciation for Mai’s ability to look at the whole patient. Sure, Mai was rotating on Cardiology. And she did an amazing job of answering her attendings questions regarding the finer points of my husbands illness. But it didn’t mean that she shut off all of the learning she did in her dermatology rotation. She saw a problem and she went after it. She literally saved my husband’s life. When I called her with the news and thanked her for saving his life, she said that this was the first time anyone had ever told her that she had saved someone’s life. I told her this would be the first of many.

here are some after pictures!!! these were shot about a month ago.