Everything I had hoped to find in a good doctor:
Friendly
Knowledgeable
Caring
Attentive
Compassionate
Patient
Gentle
And that is everything I have found in Dr. Mattas.
I could not have asked for a better
doctor to travel through this journey of grief with. From the moment he
couldn’t find a heartbeat he was calm, reassuring but realistic, gentle
and proactive.
He may feel as though he was just
doing his job but he made me feel like there was absolutely nothing else
that he needed to focus his attention towards but me and my baby.
He worked wonders to get me in for an
ultrasound as quickly as he could (and thanks also to his colleague Dr.
Pegg... she too was fabulous for squeezing me in and for following
through on the hospital care). As soon as she called to let him know
that there was, in fact, no heartbeat, he called my home and left a very
heartfelt and personal message.
When I went for my 2 week check up, he
listened while I talked, offered tissue when I cried, offered advice
when I asked for help, and offered for me to come back whenever I needed
support... both physically and mentally.
When Andrew and I went to see him
about Claire’s autopsy results he gave us the rundown and then asked
how we were doing. He really listened to what was begin said and brought
up a really good way of thinking and turned it around in this way...
He
said that pictures are made up of negatives, when developed you see the
opposite and that the same can be said for feelings...
He
talked about Andrew feeling helpless to help me and turned it to the
fact that Andrew is obviously a very caring and supportive husband and
that is the reason he feels helpless. He would do anything for me
because he loves me so much and it hurts to not be able to help. And for
my feelings of absolute sadness and emptiness and my want to turn my
loss into help for others... he flipped it to show that I am very
compassionate and I feel empathy for others. Essentially showing us that
what we were feeling seemed like negative feelings to us right now but
deep down it just shows our real character and strength.
All that from a short chat with a virtual stranger.
We both left feeling like a little weight had been lifted that day thanks to his honesty and kindness.
He
never had to make it so personal. He could have been technical, black
and white, cut and dry. But he took the time to connect with me, my
husband, and our feelings, and with our concerns and questions without
making us feel rushed or silly.
I
will forever be grateful for the care that he has provided. He will
hold a special place in my heart along with my memories of Claire. He is
a part of the silver lining that has come from our loss.
