Truman Customer Story Column
To wear a T-shirt comfortably. That was all he wanted.
Some reviews say very little. That was the case with one left by a patient who had surgery with us recently. Not one of his answers ran longer than a single line.
And yet, reading those short answers in order, the feeling behind them came through more clearly than in any long review. Today I would like to pass them on just as he wrote them.
He closed his eyes, opened them, and it was over
01
눈 감았다 떠니까, 끝나 있었습니다
When I asked which moment of the surgery stayed with him, his answer was one line.
"I really just closed my eyes and opened them and the surgery was over — that's what I remember."
Before surgery, what he had worried about was complications. Given how large that worry had been, the fact that his memory of the operation comes down to this single line means something to us. Of course, worry about complications is not something to be smothered by more worry. The right approach is to reduce it step by step by confirming your own condition and hearing a proper explanation at a pre-surgical examination. This patient went through that process as well.
What he liked about his first visit was also brief
When I asked what he liked about his first visit, he said the staff were kind and the atmosphere felt comfortable.
02
첫 방문에서 좋았던 것도, 답은 짧았습니다
It is a short answer, but we take it seriously. What eases the tension of walking through a clinic door for the first time is not an elaborate explanation, but exactly this kind of comfort.
What he most wanted to do after surgery
His answer to this question was the shortest in the review, and the one that stayed with me longest.
첫 방문에서 좋았던 것
"Wear T-shirts comfortably."
It is not a grand ambition. Something that means nothing to most people was, for a man who had been uncomfortable about his chest for years, a wish worth deciding on surgery for.
03
수술 후 가장 하고 싶은 일
When I asked what he hoped for from us
To others with the same concern, he left an answer along the lines of recommending the surgery. That said, this was his own experience, and whether surgery is appropriate should be decided after confirming your own condition through an examination.
Finally, when I asked what he would like from the clinic, his answer was this:
"Nothing — you're already doing well."
That last line in a short review remains our longest assignment. We will practice in a way that keeps those words from ever becoming an embarrassment. This was this patient's outcome; results and recovery vary from person to person. If a single short-sleeved shirt is what makes summer difficult for you, please come in and talk with us with an easy mind.
- Dr. Shim Young-jin, TRUEMAN Myeongdong -
That last line in a short review remains our longest assignment. We will practice in a way that keeps those words from ever becoming an embarrassment. This was this patient's outcome; results and recovery vary from person to person. If a single short-sleeved shirt is what makes summer difficult for you, please come in and talk with us with an easy mind.
- Dr. Shim Young-jin, TRUEMAN Myeongdong -
