Doctor's Touching Post on Losing Kids Sparks Wave of Love From Patients

Dr. Michael P. La Quaglia puts his all on the line for his patients. La Qualia is the Chief Pediatric Surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and often the only doctor who took on patients when their parents had no one else to turn to. In his thirty years of service operating on children, he’s only lost five kids on the table. However, on a recent post with Humans of New York, he opens up about the heartbreak these five deaths have been for him:

“The absolute best thing in the world that can happen to me is telling a parent that their child’s tumor is benign. I live for those moments. And the worst thing that can happen to me is telling a parent that I’ve lost their kid. It’s only happened to me five times in thirty years. And I’ve wanted to kill myself every single time. Those parents trusted me with their child. It’s a sacred trust and the ultimate responsibility is always mine. I lose sleep for days. I second-guess every decision I made. And every time I lose a child, I tell the parents: ‘I’d rather be dead than her.’ And I mean it. But I go to church every single day. And I think that I’m going to see those kids in a better place. And I’m going to tell them that I’m sorry. And hopefully they’ll say, ‘Forget it. Come on in.’” ———————————————————– As we learn these stories, we are trying to raise $1,000,000 to help the team @sloankettering in their fight against pediatric cancer. Thanks to the 17,000 people who have contributed so far. We’re over 60% of the way there. Please consider donating. Link in bio.

A photo posted by Humans of New York (@humansofny) on May 11, 2016 at 3:24pm PDT

His confession sparked a wave of reassurance and love from the patients he did save in years past.

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The children he saved came back to tell him their lives are better and meaningful because of him.

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The love is palpable.

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There were parents who also came back to tell the good doctor how much his service meant to them.

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And his colleagues also came and let the love flow.

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The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is working hard to raise $1,000,000 to help more people like Dr. La Quaglia help more people. You can learn more and lend a helping hand here.