The sweat drips down my forehead and into my eyes, causing it to sting. My lower back cramps. The patient’s vitals are now unrecordable, even with a vital machine. No pulse is detected. Starting chest compressions is the call, somewhere in that crowded hospital room, filled with medical personnel. I realise the person’s voice is my own. It’s now or never. There’s no such thing as fear here, just determination and hope.
I’m a medical doctor. As part of a team, of health professionals, I am at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic. I go to work each day with the hope of saving more than we lose and pray that I myself don’t become infected. But what does it take to be a doctor in the modern world? Where pandemics, epidemics, famine, and malnutrition, all completed with limited resources and constant medico-legal eyes.
Let’s take it back, a small rewind in time to 10 years ago, where the journey all began. At the time, Kloof high school seemed like a personal hell. There was always a teacher announcing a test the following week, homework that had to be completed, sports practices and matches against our old enemies, community helping groups, etc, etc, etc. You know the drill. And yet now, many years after school, meeting someone from high school, even if they weren’t part of my close circle of friends, makes me feel like I have a bond to share. The kind of bond that families share. I really don’t know how to put it into words and describe it. It’s almost some sort of secret Illuminati Brotherhood, where your bond lies in the shared experiences.
Anyway, what I wanted to talk about, was how Kloof high school gave me attributes to be a good doctor. Any school can make you a doctor, so what is the substance of a good doctor? Some of you, immediately allow your minds to drift to Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) solving puzzles alone while avoiding eye contact. But being a good doctor, in a South African context with limited resources, in a country rife with pandemics and epidemics, requires teamwork. Weirdly enough, teamwork is something that was learnt on the sports field. And as it is not taught to us formally, the concept of teamwork is almost the side effects of playing sports in a team.
The next and most important quality, in my opinion, is courage. A good doctor has the courage to step up to the playing field when everyone else around you is scared. The courage to put someone’s life in your hands, knowing that most of the time it’s not just the patient’s life at stake, but also their families indirectly. I think what started to grow my courage in high school, were those horrid speeches we had to do in English and Afrikaans classes. But if that wasn’t enough, the teachers even upped their game too – UNPREPARED speeches were their secret weapons. My heart would beat a little faster and I could feel and sometimes even hear my heartbeat in my chest. (Later I’d come to learn that these are actually palpitations- not a medical emergency, but still distressing never the less). After finishing my speech, the class would clap robotically, not interested in your speech, and most likely not having heard any of it, as they were all mentally preparing for their own. These speeches became easier over time, my voice grew more confident, my demeanor more commanding, and speeches became an opportunity for me to air my point of view.
High school for many can be summarised into one word – “Rough”. But Kloof high School’s balance between academia and extracurricular activities gives you all the skills you need to deal with a world where being knowledgeable and skillful may not make you successful. Nor is having a great personality and being a people’s person. But it is a combination of these things that makes an individual successful, in whatever field you may choose. A well-rounded education starts on orientation day and swimming gala and continues right until you ring the famous hall bell outside the chapel, marking the day you are officially adults. Officially on your own in this world, with only yourself and the skills you learn at Kloof high school as your anchor. So I appeal to all of you, make the most of it! Join in as many extracurricular activities as you can, make new friends, and study hard! The world is at your feet and Kloof high is the key to the impossible. Always “be the best that you can be”, even in unprecedented times like these.
Regards
Dr K Brijlall
