The Real Life of an Internist by Tyler-Lloyd Mark D

Author:Tyler-Lloyd, Mark D [Tyler-Lloyd, Mark D]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kaplan Trade
Published: 2009-05-26T04:00:00+00:00

TIFFANY

Lee Savio Beers, MD

TIFFANY WAS 15 years old when I first met her, with her newborn daughter. I noticed that her diaper bag had about ten laminated cards hanging from the shoulder strap. “What are these?” I asked. A little embarrassed, she replied, “I took a parenting class while I was pregnant, and I made them there. They gave me the diaper bag, too.” She showed me what was written on the cards—each one had a handwritten sentence describing something positive about herself. I don’t remember exactly what they said, but they described a strong, loving young woman. “In the class, they said we could carry these around and look at them every day to help us remember that we can be good parents.”

Three years later, I can still see the young woman described in those simple, affirming statements. I don’t know if it was the cards, but despite many very serious and ongoing challenges, I think Tiffany, now an adult, is the parent she hoped she would be.

Tiffany had not had an easy childhood. Born into an impoverished, single-parent family in Washington, D.C., she has suffered from many of the problems that accompany extreme poverty. Worse, her own mother frequently sabotages her efforts to make things better for herself and her young daughter. For example, when Tiffany began seeking regular medical care in our clinic, her mother re-enrolled all her children in Medicaid except for her, and then for months refused to sign the paperwork to get her enrolled. Her mother takes many of the benefits intended for Tiffany for herself, leaving Tiffany to scrounge for money to buy things as basic as food and diapers.

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