They Thought I Had a “Little Medical Job.” Then My Cousin Told 40 Guests the Truth

overflowed with papers—article drafts, lecture notes, diagrams of surgical approaches. On the wall hung framed journal covers with my name highlighted, and in the center, the program from the Hartwell Pediatric Center dedication.

Sometimes when I was tired, I’d look at that program and remember the parents who’d stood in the front row, the way they’d continue reading …