LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: DOCTORS ARE SPECIAL PEOPLE

Dear Editor,

Many leaders of this great country are regarded with high respect, such as our president, vice president, bishops, and other officials. We regard them as special people. Let us not forget, however; each of these will one day be struck with an illness -- some mildly ill, some terminally. Each of these through fear, and sometimes panic, will be confronted with the one thought -- and that is and always will be -- to summon a doctor. All important issues then are secondary. That is what brings us to the realization of how very special a doctor is, of the important part he plays in our lives, how our tension builds while we await his decision.

Just recently we lost a former president. Without warning while compiling a book for publication a severe stroke suddenly put a halt to his important activity. Many specialists and doctors were summoned to his side. To whom did he put his fullness and help -- the doctor.

Doctors are well aware of the fact, however, there remains a limitation to their God-given source of healing. The final decision comes from a higher power.

The name of a very renowned jazz musician comes to mind, that of Jess Stacy, a former Cape Girardeau young man whose fine expertise and unusual style as a piano player has risen to such heights he remains and will always be remembered as the greatest piano player of all times. His own personal style has yet to be equalled. At the height of Jess Stacy's career he was stricken with a severe illness. What seemed more important to him than his musical profession was to seek immediate help. After many and sometimes tense hours spent by a doctor, Jess Stacy can today play the piano according to his desire, being content to accept as much as his age allows, with special thanks from the fine treatment he received from the doctors who made it possible.

Doctors' lives are not glamorous. They put in long, hard and often weary hours. They are dedicated to their profession. Let us then give them the respect they deserve. Doctors are indeed our special people.

PAULA E. KEMPE

Cape Girardeau