Finding Dr. Kofinas

Robin and I had one of those moments.  We were talking about a random Tyler memory and we said those famous words "I wonder what ever became of that person?"  In this case we were referring to Dr. Alexander Kofinas.  

It was 1991, and we had just found out that Robin was type-1 diabetic AND pregnant.  We were made to understand immediately that this was an unfortunate combination and that her sugars had to be controlled as quickly as possible.

I do not say this lightly....Robin did an amazing job getting her sugars under control right away and keeping them in check throughout the pregnancy.  I can't imagine getting a diagnosis one day, going straight into the hospital shortly after, and training myself to live a whole different way of life overnight.  She learned how to eat, how to give herself insulin, and how to test her sugars.  She did this for her baby, and she did it without complaint.  Tyler owes his life to her, and she should be regarded as a hero.

We were referred to Dr. Kofinas as a high-risk pregnancy.  We had no idea what to expect, and being so young we were scared.  Thankfully, Dr. Kofinas was the perfect doctor to go to.  He talked to us as though Tyler were his only patient.  He explained everything to us so we would know where we stood.  He cared.  The caring was what we needed the most.  

Once we were referred out-of-state for Tyler's birth and initial surgery, we lost track of Dr. Kofinas.  I suppose this happens a lot with these situations.  We did think about him and talk about him occasionally when something relative to her pregnancy would come up in conversation, and it always ended in "I wonder where he ended up".

I took a moment and decided to google his name.  I couldn't remember his first name, and honestly wasn't sure how to spell the last name either.  After just a few failed attempts I found a Dr. Kofinas in Brooklyn, NY.  Luckily his website actually posted his resume, and sure enough, there was our hospital in the early 1990's.  It appears he has a practice with 2 locations in New York.  And either he has a picture on his website from when he was 40, or he looks damn good for his age!  

I took a moment and sent him an e-mail starting with..."you won't remember us...but" just so we could say hello.  Even if he doesn't remember anything about us, it felt great to let him know that he made a difference in our lives when we really needed it.  He was patient, compassionate, and supportive.

Many times on this blog, I talk about the importance of placing your trust in good people who are willing to stand beside you through the difficult times.  There has been nothing else more valuable in our journey than having people around us who have loved and supported us.  We didn't realize it then, but Dr. Kofinas was an early lesson in putting ourselves in the right hands.

Hopefully I get a reply from the good doctor and I can thank him for what he did for us all those years ago.  Its important that we remember to do this where its warranted.  After all, these doctors are as human as we are.  They experience disappointments and heartbreak when they lose patients or can't help the way they would like to.  Perhaps being reminded how much he helped us will strengthen him to continue to do the same for others.

So today we salute Dr. Kofinas....one of Tyler's heroes.

Be well and God bless.   Tom