"Outstanding Doctor, Incredible Care"

I would like to say the biggest thank you to Dr. Khan at the Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh for all his support of my friend and my colleague. I can’t believe a year on from writing a similar thank you to her heart consultant that her battle continues and here I am again, thanking our amazing doctors. The support has just been outstanding.  

Watching our friend and colleague get setback after setback in relation to her health has been devastating to see, and this latest one in relation to her sight was such a huge blow, having watched her from early university days, to qualifying and training to become the brilliant colleague and amazing young woman that she has become over the last 20 years to then seeing her having to put her life on hold to deal with her illness after working so hard has been extremely difficult for us all, she’s the core of our whole working environment, she supports us through everything, no matter what, she will always make you laugh, smile or give you the biggest hug if you need it if its been a tough day and listen if you want to talk or just sound off.

She has a very tough job of her own to do but still finds the time to look after everyone else and make sure we are ok, her staff mean alot to her and you don’t realise or appreciate just how much someone does for you or how much they mean to you or how much you rely on them until they are not there and we are all feeling her absence more than ever, the life and souls gone since she’s had to take time out for her health, it’s just not the same, she’s still around but not as much as we would want.

14 months on and she’s still having to deal with aspects of the illness, it’s just been awful to see what she’s had to go through, but amazingly she just smiles, gives you a wink and says she’s winning and not to worry, good times will be back soon, her drive to get on top of it all and deal with everything that’s been thrown at her is inspirational to see, she’s a great personal friend as well and I just wish it was possible to take these struggles causing her such sadness and pain away from her, I know pulling herself out of work life and her personal life for the last year to deal with the setbacks has been the hardest thing she’s ever had to do and the support of the Doctors she’s had has really helped her to keep going through the tough time, she’s said herself that emotionally, physically and mentally, it’s been the most challenging time of her life so she’s done amazing to still be standing when most people would have probably gave up long ago and she credits most of that to the support and care of her Doctors, each one that’s helped her should be very proud of themselves.

Her Doctors have played a huge part in her care and keeping her going, I know she’s very grateful to each one of them for all they have done for her. I would like to thank Dr Khan sincerely, for taking such fantastic care of her, the news about her sight devastated her as I’m sure he would have been aware off that at the time of telling her, he took the time with her to discuss lots of aspects of her care and that’s meant more to her than he probably knows. He also explained her treatment really well that she felt comfortable and confident enough to come back and get the treatment she needed done, it was hit and miss for a time to be honest as she sat in my office after getting the news, head in hands, so upset and not knowing if she could do more treatment after everything else she had been through, it was a tough discussion to have as she was devastated and lost, so this time that Dr Khan took to listen and understand her feelings and then explain to her why she needed to do the treatment was crucial and really helped her to make the decision to go ahead with the treatment and I’m so grateful he took that time to have that chat with her. Doctors are obviously very busy so to give the time he did has been so important to her in helping make right decisions about her health.

He also highlighted an issue that she wasn’t aware was affecting her as much as it was and that prompted her to take action to address that, which has made a huge difference to her and her thoughts about her health going forward, his input into her care has been invaluable, it really has, and I and her staff will be forever grateful to him for that, it means that hopefully in the not too distant future she will be back with us sorting out all the chaos and carnage we’ve caused in her absence, and we can get our wing-woman back. She’s a very ambitious person and the prospect of losing her sight would have made the job she’s so good at and loves to do impossible and would have prevented her from doing all the crazy things she loves doing in her personal time, so the action taken by Dr. Khan to help her with the sight issue really will have a massive impact on her life and let her keep doing the things she loves to do, and that’s going to be priceless for her, although if there is such a thing as a shot you could give her that would make her just go lay on a beach for a few weeks and do absolutely nothing after all she’s been through then for the love of God, absolutely give it to her as these adventures she takes herself off on will be the end of me !! But grateful nevertheless to Dr Khan for still ensuring she has the opportunity to fulfil all these things she loves to do, will mean more to her than he probably knows.

She speaks very highly of Dr. Khan, no mean feat to get that kind of recognition from her let me tell you, she’s not an easy woman to impress!! Commenting on his professionalism, being a fantastic listener and helping her understand and work through some of the frustrations she was feeling and trying to deal with about her health, she liked his honest and direct approach and how he created a supportive, safe and caring environment for her to be in, she liked that he had good humour that made her smile behind her mask at tough times and he had a very caring approach to performing the treatment he gave her and despite all the covid restrictions she felt he went above and beyond to help her and gave her outstanding care, she said she feels very lucky to be under his care, he has clearly been a very skilled and supportive doctor and you can tell the positive impact this has had on her and her continued battle with her diabetes and the complications it throws up. He rightly deserves a pat on the back for his effort, well done that man.

Diabetes is a cruel illness, it really is, and I have no doubt she will get to a point she can put it behind her and move on from it all soon, for now however, the biggest thank you Dr Khan for his support to her and despite dealing with some of the most mentally challenging situations in her day job, I can see this whole experience has drained her, she’s exhausted, and that’s very tough for all of us as her team to see as she’s the strong one who we all normally turn to and is the one who brings the fun to the work environment, it just goes to show that we are all vulnerable, she will bounce back, I have no doubt of that, and like she said better times are ahead,  it’s still difficult to witness all this happen to someone who we all care about so much, so thanks to her doctors for helping to keep her going and feeling positive about the treatment she’s had to go through.

I am in great admiration of Dr. Khan and the dedication and care he provided to our friend and colleague, thank you to him for keeping going during this difficult year, his support to our friend and colleague is appreciated more than he knows, and he should be proud of the positive impact his care has had on her and will do as she moves forward.

From one Profession to another - thank you to all our NHS staff, you’ve done an amazing job during the pandemic and continue to do so day in day out all year round, massive thank you to you all and keep yourselves safe, and please know your hard work and dedication is appreciated 365 days a year, not just 6 months during a pandemic. Keep up the amazing work you all do.

All the very best.