Honoring Our Veterans and Celebrating 10 Years of PCNOW
A reflection by Dr. Sean Marks
It’s easy for us, nearly 250 years later, to lose sight of just how revolutionary the founding democratic ideas of our country were to the rest of the world. Amongst other things, it established that a government created and represented by the populace could work and thrive. It challenged the established concepts of governments that came before, which were predominantly based on monarchical ideas. By doing so, it made it possible for “all people” to believe in an enlightened pursuit of their own happiness and to express themselves via speech, religion, and life choices. The American experiment in democracy has been credited by historians for inspiring the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, and eventually the rise of democratic governments throughout much of Europe and beyond. Thomas Paine presciently once described America’s independence as “the birthday of a new world.”
As a physician who is privileged to work at a beacon VA hospital, I am humbled nearly every day. It seems impossible not to get awash in these heady concepts about our country. While our country does not always live up to its ideals, while our country has even had such missteps as to put our veterans in harm’s way via exposure to toxins in battle for example, while our country has not always treated everyone as equals…ultimately the continued success of our country has always depended on those who were willing to sacrifice their health, life, and sense of safety and peace to preserve our commitment to the American experiment. When I walk through the halls and ride the elevators at the Zablocki VA Medical Center, I see veterans of all creeds, ethnicities, socio-economic status, who despite our missteps as a country, they made that sacrifice when asked of them. For many this sacrifice proved to be quite profound. They easily could greet me with cynicism and disappointment and yet there is a real spirit of camaraderie in the hallways and elevators. A sense of a shared mission. “Thank you, doc,” and similar statements just flow freely.
As a palliative care physician, I often meet these veterans in the final chapters of their lives. I have witnessed moments and life stories I’ll never forget here. I am fortunate enough to work here because our VA medical system has a strong tradition of promoting and advancing palliative care.
I would argue that our palliative care unit at the Milwaukee VA is a beacon example of a true interdisciplinary team for end-of-life care. There are not just outstanding and well-trained physicians, nurses, and nurse practitioners who work there, but also social workers, dedicated psychologists, chaplains, music therapists, recreation therapists, aromatherapists, you name it, to help address the comprehensive care needs of this unique patient population. This didn’t happen by accident. This has been created and sustained because of decades of strong support from us as voting citizens to support this system.