Claire Kesler, 18, recently sent a handwritten note to Dr. Alireza Behboudi, the orthopedic surgeon who treated her for four broken bones during her elementary school years. Kesler sought to thank Dr. Behboudi for his consistent care, which she said left a lasting positive impression.
“Dr. Behboudi, I know you will not remember me, but I definitely remember you. I have broken my arm 4 times in my life and you have treated all of them. Thank you for being such an amazing doctor!” Kesler’s letter read. She first met Dr. Behboudi after sustaining an injury from playground equipment during second grade.
A year later, Kesler returned to Dr. Behboudi’s office for another injury. She recalled balancing on something she was not supposed to be on, despite her father’s warning. Her third fracture also occurred during a playground mishap. “I was pretending I was an ambulance, and my friend was the patient. I was giving her a piggyback ride when I fell and broke my arm,” Kesler stated. She remembered thinking, “Oh my gosh, not again!”
The series of injuries continued into the following year when Kesler broke her thumb. Despite repeated visits to a medical professional, Kesler noted that her experiences with Dr. Behboudi and his staff diminished her typical anxiety about doctor visits.
“I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like going to the doctor,” Kesler said. “It always made me nervous, especially when I was younger. But by the third time, I knew I was going to see Dr. Behboudi and his staff again, and it wasn’t a big deal.” She emphasized that Dr. Behboudi’s communication style helped ease her fears, explaining what he would do and what to expect.
“As a kid, that made everything a lot less scary and intimidating,” Kesler stated, adding that Dr. Behboudi and his staff were consistently kind, accommodating, and reassuring.
For Dr. Behboudi, receiving Kesler’s note was both unexpected and deeply meaningful. He acknowledged that physicians often do not fully recognize the lasting impact they have on patients, particularly children. “It meant a great deal to hear from Claire after all these years. Knowing that she’s healthy and thriving is incredibly rewarding,” Dr. Behboudi said. He described such notes as a reminder of “why we do what we do.”
Kesler’s positive experiences with healthcare professionals during her childhood have influenced her future academic and career path. This fall, she plans to begin studying cardiac sonography at Tyler Junior College, pursuing a career dedicated to helping others, much like the caregivers who assisted her throughout her childhood.
