A Fullness of Uncertain Significance is Now an "Award Winning" Book

This week, the Council for Wisconsin Writers announced its annual awards. My book received an Honorable Mention! I mention this because, of course, I am honored. I am also humbled to be in the company of recent Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Margaret Rozga, and Wisconsin's favorite historian and regular on Around the Corner with John McGivern, John Gurda.

Below is the announcement:

COUNCIL FOR WISCONSIN WRITERS ANNOUNCES CONTEST RESULTS FOR 2021 WORK

Sixteen Wisconsin writers won First Place Awards and Honorable Mention Recognition in the Council for Wisconsin Writers contests for work published or produced in 2021.

Award winners were celebrated on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at the Arts + Literature Laboratory, 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin. Below is a photo of the winners.

Apparently, we were so amazing that the Council for Wisconsin Writers dissolved almost immediately after giving these awards. In the future, the Wisconsin Writers Contest will be administered by the Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL) in Madison, Wisconsin.

NORBERT BLEI/AUGUST DERLETH NONFICTION BOOK AWARD

Lawrence Tarak

FOXCONNED: Imaginary Jobs, Bulldozed Homes, and the Sacking of Local Government

University of Chicago Press

Bruce Campbell - Honorable Mention

A Fullness of Uncertain Significance: Stories of Surgery, Clarity, and Grace

TEN16 Press | Orange Hat Publishing

EDNA FERBER FICTION BOOK CONTEST

Anthony Bukoski

The Blondes of Wisconsin: Stories

University of Wisconsin Press

Shannon Schuren - Honorable Mention

Where Echoes Lie

Philomel Books

EDNA MEUDT POETRY BOOK AWARD

Dewitt Clinton

Hello There

Word Poetry Press

Margaret Rozga - Honorable Mention

Holding My Selves Together: New and Selected Poems

Cornerstone Press

ZONA GALE SHORT FICTION AWARD

Jennifer Morales

“The Doorman”

Fire & Water: Stories from the Anthropocene

Black Lawrence Press

Kathie Giorgio - Honorable Mention

“Recipe”

Evening Street Review

LORINE NIEDECKER POETRY AWARD

Jenna Rindo

Five poems published in various journals

Lora Keller - Honorable Mention

Five poems published in various journals

KAY W. LEVIN AWARD FOR SHORT NON-FICTION

Craig Reinbold

“What WE Might Salvage”

AGNI Magazine

John Gurda - Honorable Mention

“Education of a Southside Barfly”Milwaukee Magazine

TOFTE/WRIGHT CHILDREN’S LITERARY AWARD

Rochelle Melander

Mightier than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World Through Writing

Beaming Books

Jon Etter - Honorable Mention

Yet Another Dreadful Fairy Book

Amberjack Publishing/Chicago Revie

w Press

YOUNG WRITERS

Cara Wreen

Poem: “Tea Assortment”

Addison Rahmlow - Honorable Mention

Poem: “Nobody, etc.”

Why I Try to Know My Patient's World, in Addition to Their Body

Published on the website, Doximity - March 8, 2022

Illustration by April Brust

She was from my parents’ generation; he was from mine. Her childhood was dominated by the Great Depression, his by the Cold War. She was in her early 20s during World War II; he spent his early 20s in Vietnam. Her oral cavity cancer was likely related to radiation treatments for her teenage acne; his was, no doubt, from his smoking. Although they never met each other, they will forever be inextricably linked in my memory.

Let me share their stories:

She developed a small, superficial cancer under her tongue, which I removed with a limited procedure when she was in her late 70s. Ten years later, I excised another small cancer. Although she healed completely, the second operation affected her swallowing and articulation for a few weeks. The surgery made her, as she said, “feel old.” “It was,” she informed me many times, “the worst thing ever! I will never have another surgery!”

Her reaction was consistent with her personality. She carried herself like many of the adults of the Greatest Generation, and her clinic visits were always memorable. She was a bit combative, skeptical, sure of herself, and ready to share her opinions. She mentioned her husband and son, but always came to her appointments unaccompanied. She was shaken when her husband died three years after her second surgery but, as I recall, never spoke of him again.

I followed her for many years, checking her surgical scars and offering suggestions to help with her dry mouth symptoms. Then, in her early 90s, a new, large cancer blossomed in her throat. “This is much more dangerous,” I told her.

Without hesitation, she drew herself up and pronounced that she would have no further treatment. “Nothing! No surgery! And radiation probably got me into this mess,” she said. “Just let me go.” She permitted no discussion.

During her final months, she refused hospice consults, allowed no visitors, and left the house only for medical appointments. When the home health aide brought her for a visit, she let me know that, “You people don’t do much to help me.” Her son, she said, was attentive, but he traveled for work and wasn’t around much. She canceled her next appointment and I never saw her again.

***

My other patient’s story also begins with a small oral cavity cancer that I removed with a simple procedure. At the time, he was in his early 40s, yet several areas of his mouth were already red and thickened from smoking. He knew he should quit but never quite managed to do it. I kept a close eye on him, taking a sample of a new nodule or ulcer at almost every visit. Pre-cancers evolved into superficial cancers, and then into deeper cancers as things worsened. His tumors became more aggressive. About three years after his first visit, he underwent successful surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Things finally settled down.

I never met his family. His long-standing problems with narcotics and alcohol predated his cancer and were, he admitted, responsible for his estrangement from his ex-wife, his two children, and all his siblings. He never mentioned them. It didn’t seem as though he had any close friends. He always came alone.

Several years later, he developed a new, large cancer of the tongue. His treatment options were very limited, having already had radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. In those days before immunotherapy and checkpoint inhibitors, we had little to offer other than supportive care.

Both the man, now in his late 50s, and the woman, now in her 90s, were patients of mine for over 15 years by the time their dangerous cancers appeared. With no treatment options, their conditions steadily worsened. The notifications from their home care agencies came in rapid succession. They died six days apart.

***

As I reviewed their charts, I confirmed I had never met any of their relatives or friends. Throughout my career, whenever one of my patients dies, I try to share with the family how honored I was to accompany their loved one on their journey. I don’t reach out every time but, whenever possible, I call one of the relatives. I send handwritten notes, realizing how touched I was when the doctor sent a card after my father died. I have gone to many visitations. Much as I was lifted by being allowed in the presence of grieving families when I was a student, I have learned the importance of intentionally reaching across the chasm between the family and the physician. Doing so helps everyone process their grief and profound sense of loss, including me.

For these two, however, I was unsure what to do. Although there were family members listed in their charts, it seemed odd that our lives had nearly touched over such extended periods of time, yet we had never met. Somehow, it did not feel right to address my own loss by making contact. Even a word of condolence seemed intrusive and, to be honest, selfish. Perhaps I was more aware of the disconnect because they died within a few days of each other. I still remember the emptiness. It felt as though I was watching from a distance as they walked through a door that never closed behind them.

As Longfellow wrote, “There is no grief like the grief that does not speak.” Since losing those two patients, ten years ago now, I have tried to connect whenever possible with the people that surround my patients. By understanding the collective narrative of their lives, I hope I will always be equipped to be present if, and when, the time to speak a word of comfort arrives.

Book Readings and Events

I enjoy sharing stories from the book and hearing about other peoples' experiences, whether in person or virtually. If you or your group would like to connect, please contact me through the website.

I will add more as information becomes available.

Below are some of the past and upcoming opportunities to talk about the book:

9/28/2021	Book Lauch at City Lights Brewing in Milwaukee, WI	In-person event during a lull in COVID-19. A wonderful evening with friends, both old and new. The beer is excellent.
9/29/2021	Virtual Book Lauch	About forty friends from around the world were able to sign in and share in the conversation. Thanks to the staff at TEN16 for setting this up.
10/28/2021	House reading with friends in Pewaukee WI	About fifteen old friends gathered for appetizers and a few stories. Thanks, Mariann and Greg!
11/12/2021	Taping for "The Short Coat" Podcast - University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine	A great hour-long conversation with host Dave Etler and four UI medical students. Link to the podcast is here.
11/16/2021	Medical College of Wiscoinsin 15th Annual Medical Humanities Lecture	I was honored to be invited to give this annual lecture to my MCW colleagues. It was a combination of lecture and my thoughts on the value of narrative medicine in medical education.
11/18/2021	Taping for KevinMD Podcast	A great 15-mintue coversation with Kevin Pho, MD, better known as KevinMD. Link to the podcast is here.
12/12/2021	Zablocki VA Medical Center Operating Room staff	This one was special. I have worked at the VA for over forty years and my OR colleagues were kind enough to ask me to talk about the book during their weekly educational hour. Honored.
1/18/2022	Waukesha Sunrise Rotary Club	A community conversation about the book and medicine. My dad was a Rotarian, so we talked about that, as well.
2/11/2022	St. John's Lutheran Church Friday morning book club	A chance to gather with my wife's book club friends. She has a different take on a couple of my stories. I suggested that she can fix things when she writes her own book.
2/18/2022	Albert Einstein College of Medicine Department of Otorhinolaryngology Grand Rounds, New York City	A virtual book reading and conversation about writing and narrative. New and old friends. Made some connections with a couple of the residents, as well - always the best part.
2/28/2022	St. John's Lutheran Church Adult Education Academy session	A book reading and discussion about the process of writing. When available, a link will appear under the St. John's Academy tab.
3/14/2022	Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology Grand Rounds	A chance to talk to some of the smartest otolaryngologists in the country.
3/16/2022	Rush Surgical Society, Rush Univesity, Chicago	An opportunity to connect with the surgeons at my medical school alma mater.
3/22/2022	Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Otolaryngology Grand Rounds	My own department! I will share the reading stage with talented pediatrician-author-colleague-writing buddy K. Jane Lee, MD, author of Catastropic Rupture.
3/30/2022	Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Surgery Grand Rounds	An opportunity to spend time with some of the hardest working and decent people at my own institution.
4/5/2022	Guest speaker in Mount Mary University's Theological Ethics in Healthcare course	Honored to be invited by Shawnee M. Daniels-Sykes, Ph.D. to speak to her class about my book and my thoughts about medical education.
4/8/2022	Creighton University Department of Surgery Grand Rounds	I will travel to Omaha, NE to give Grand Rounds, facilitate some narrative exercies, and talk a bit about head and neck cancer. Thanks, Bill Lydiatt, MD for the invitation.