Dr. Ang

So sad to hear of the passing of pediatrician, Dr. Anita Ang. This column ran in "The Warsaw Country Courier"upon her retirement in 2010 but still reflects my gratitude for her compassionate care of my children and her patience with me.

In this season of reflective thanksgiving, I am grateful for the many blessings of my life.  I have a husband who is admittedly annoyed with me less than 50% of the time, children who occasionally acknowledge my presence in public, and loving friends who actively seek my companionship because, when compared to me, they appear smarter, thinner, and prettier.  Upon the news that pediatrician, Dr. Anita Ang and her amazing administrative assistant, Nancy will soon be closing their practice doors on Main Street of Warsaw, I began to think about the gift of good health that is accompanied by a competent and caring physician.

                At this juncture, it is necessary to introduce Courier readers to my fictional third child, Susquehanna, in order to comply with strict HIPPO guidelines which prohibit the exploitation of my non-fictional children’s medical stories for entertainment purposes.  Susquehanna has been a mostly reluctant patient of Dr. Ang’s for her entire life.  I bear the burden of responsibility of her resistant attitude.  Learning from the past, I have adjusted my approach to medical treatment with our new little dog, Chloe.  I take her on friendly, treat-laden visits to the vet to balance the memories associated with the inevitable shots that accompany her well-baby appointments.  As a new mom, I didn’t consider this approach and then wondered why I had to stuff a screaming child through Dr. Ang’s door.  “Blow out the candle,” Dr. Ang would say soothingly, quickly administering the shot.  Tearing off her “I got a shot today” sticker, three-year-old Susquehanna said, betrayed, “There is no candle.” 

                Dr. Ang loves her patients (and their mothers) even when they are at their absolute worst.  Susquehanna associated Dr. Ang with chronic ear pain, vomiting, and chicken pox.  It was Dr. Ang who talked me through my hysteria when, as I washed little Susquehanna’s hair in the tub, I noticed a rice krispie attached to her scalp.  Finding food in the hair of most of the Mosiman family members is not necessarily an unusual situation, however, this food particle put up remarkable resistance as I attempted to pluck it out.  When the rice krispie dug in its feet (yes, feet), I sprang to my own and ran screaming to the phone.  Dr. Ang talked me through the extraction of a New York State-record-breaking woodchuck tick which was whisked away for immediate lab analysis while I was given months of psychiatric treatment. 

                The trauma doesn't stop there.  As Susquehanna blossomed into a thriving young woman, she experienced accompanying growing pains.  Convinced that my child had some sort of Asiatic cantankerous growth, I immediately took her to Dr. Ang who regarded me in utter disgust as she calmed my fears by explaining the maturation process of the eleven-year-old female.

                Big on homeopathic remedies, Dr. Ang sometimes combined conventional approaches to Susquehanna’s plaguing ear problems with sweet oil and ear candling.  After I almost set Susquehanna’s hair ablaze, Dr. Ang began legislative measures to force adults to pass a competency test to become parents.  Thank goodness I’ve been grandfathered through.

                Our family and community are going to desperately miss Dr. Ang and Nancy.  My daughters were always fascinated by Dr. Ang’s exotic (and comfy) footwear.  Nancy always took time to comfort and empathize over every ridiculous Mosiman medical mishap and malady.  Allergic to roofing (and manual labor, in general), Susquehanna and I blew up like oompa loompas this summer—begging relief at the toe-socked feet of our doctor.  Unable to look at our swelled-beyond-recognition faces, Nancy stifled her giggles and told me that she looked forward to one day reading about this incident in the Courier.  Well, here it is, Nancy.

                We appreciated everything Dr. Ang and Nancy did for our families over the years. Thank you for the positive impact you’ve had on your grateful patients.  Most of all, thank you for not using my real name in your medical journal exposé about unfit mothers and surreal medical abnormalities.  

Go with God, Dr. Ang. We'll miss you.