It was the fascination of curing the sick and the nobility of a doctor’s task that attracted Riza (not her real name) to the medical profession. She has now specialized in Internal Medicine, and sub-specialized in Gastroenterology. But it was her commitment to live the Gospel that led her to a never-ending adventure, discovering ways of how to love God in others, especially in the sick people whom she serves.

“During my medical training in Gastroenterology,” she shares, “I had to do two research papers worthy of publication in peer reviewed scientific journals. There wasn’t just enough time and I needed concentration.” So, with all her strength, she asked Jesus to really give her the light to make a breakthrough, at least to start with the research. Although she made a lot of mistakes and got entangled with statistical calculations, what kept her going was to see this task as the will of God and to love him by doing his will. She confides, “I really felt God’s presence in these trying moments.”

She could also count on the mutual love she lived with her friends in the Focolare. It was a source of light and strength for her. “When I was finally done with the research papers, I thought that submitting them would be the end of my work...,” she shares. But she was in for a surprise. Six research papers were chosen nationwide as finalists, and one of them was her own paper. She wasn’t even aware that there was a contest! She didn’t win the first prize, but she was happy to be able to compete with the best. Then other opportunities came: her university asked her to be one of the judges in the annual research contest, a post usually reserved for the more seasoned physicians with titles to their names. Says Riza, “I owe this success to the love that we managed to establish in the Focolare. It was this love that gave me strength and light to pursue and continue such a daunting task. It was the fruit of unity among us.”

Now in private practice, Riza’s priority is her patients, and for her this means perfecting the art of listening. In fact a great part of medical diagnosis lies in case histories. So, everything that her patient says and does not say is important to her. “One time a patient was brought to me,” she shares. “His sickness was not my specialty. It seemed that he was a psychiatric case. But since his companions begged me to see him, I couldn’t just turn them down.” Riza planned to refer him to a psychiatrist later. However, as she listened to him, she found out that he was quite coherent and logical in his reasoning. He wasn’t crazy at all, but was under a heavy pressure as his business was losing money—a fact he didn’t know how to account for. He was actually planning to close down his business here in the Philippines, but didn’t know how to tell his boss abroad. “As I listened, I saw he was trembling, but he was also begging me to help him keep his sanity.” Riza listened and tried to understand him. She told him that the first thing to do was to get a good and restful sleep. Then, he would be able to see things in better perspective. If he was still bothered, she advised him to then come back and she would have helped him find other solutions. Indeed, after a few days of rest, he was back to his normal self. He was now able to face his problems and even able to make his trip back abroad to settle things. The man together with his family and friends were really very grateful to her.

Riza’s medical practice is often family based. It means treating patients and at the same time dealing with their entire families. For example, in treating patients with Hepatitis C, the process before initiating treatment is a long one. The baseline laboratory results and the result of the treatment on the other organs have to be carefully assessed. These treatments are extremely costly. The patient and their family then have to be appraised of the side effects to cope with them. Often these patients have relatives abroad who help them with finances, and so information about their condition is given through emails and phone calls. “All this demands extra time and effort on my part,” says Riza. “But I feel that involving the family, and the interpersonal relationships that go with it, is very important for the treatment process.” One time, a sister of one of Riza’s patients was retrenched from her job. She was the one financially supporting her brother’s treatment. In fact when she lost her job, he also missed doses of his medications. “In my concern,” Riza shares, “I tried to see what I could do to find her a job. Hearing from some friends that a pharmaceutical company needed a medical representative, and the pay was quite high, I recommended her for the job, and recently I heard that she was considered for the position.”

As a physician, Riza shares in the suffering of patients who are seriously ill and that of their families too. She confides, “I pray a lot and ask Jesus for wisdom in treating them. I also get the latest updates in my field. I ask Jesus for the right words in evaluating the real situation of families in difficult cases. I see to it that they participate in everything.” “In the end,” she continues, “the joy is usually multiplied as the patient recovers. I discover that in many instances it is a triumph of life as illnesses are cured. But at times, patients do not recover completely. In these instances, I also help them cope with the disability.” In fact, Riza’s relationship with her patients is an on-going one, as they come for subsequent follow-ups. It is a relationship enriched with respect and trust, and with her commitment to serve them. “Actually,” she says, “it is really more than this. I want only to be beside them the way Jesus would be, if he were in my place. Indeed it is not easy to be a physician, but the assurance of living in unity with others and the mutual love we try to have with Jesus present among us have been a constant guide in my profession. I discover how much the Holy Spirit has been generous in showering me with his light.”

C.M.G