As all good things must...

At the end of something extraordinary there should be such pomp and circumstance that people all over the world feel it and celebrate without even knowing why. However the most humble people create the most extraordinary things so often times these endings go with barely a flash of festivity.

I have desperately searched the most creative corners of my brain for something that I could do to celebrate this occasion but as the day draws near I am left with nothing because even my best ideas seemed inconsequential to such a momentous time. Rather than trivialize it with a plate of cookies or a jar of jam I thought maybe I should keep it simple, for once, and write a little tribute about this remarkable man and his phenomenal career.

On May 21, 1987 my Mom labored and then literally pushed me into the hands of Dr. Dennis Brown. It was obviously a good day for me but for him it was just an ordinary day like any other. I was just one healthy baby among thousands that he helped welcome into the world throughout his career.

My Mom and me

However our journey didn’t end there, not even close. 12 years later I starting having pain that my immaturity led me to believe was my stomach. After seeing a few other specialists and finding nothing that could cause the intense pain that stole my breath my Mom decided to take me to see Dr. Brown.

As any 12 year girl would be, I was terrified for my first appointment with the “woman doctor”. I literally recruited my sister to tie me to a tree in hopes that my grand gesture would convey how desperately I did not want to go. Of course that didn’t work because I have a good Mom. She told me all about what might happen and how kind the doctor was but I didn’t care one bit. It all sounded positively horrible.

I sat in the waiting room watching the fish in the obligatory waiting room fish tank just dreading the moment they would call me back to meet this… Man... With no help from the fish or my Mom I knew there was no getting out of it. Finally I was called back and the nurses kindly reassured me everything would be okay. I was still not convinced.

As the heavy exam room door unlatched, clicked and squeaked open I knew the moment had arrived. In walked a smiling gentleman in a white coat. He was middle aged, tan, and had a smile that went all the way to his eyes. He didn’t have me change into a gown or even sit on the exam table. He sat by my Mom and me and he used his perfect bedside manner to gently pull my guard down and get me talking. Suddenly it wasn’t scary anymore. Not long after that, he had my total trust.

After some tests and procedures he officially diagnosed me as his youngest patient to have endometriosis, actually I think I still hold that title! Together we started the journey of dealing with this incredibly painful, chronic disease. So many office visits, treatment attempts, and surgeries made me a frequent flyer patient.

Throughout my already difficult teenaged years he treated me with the utmost respect, I was Deni… Not Endometriosis. No matter the complications, issues, or frustrations he stayed steadfast and confident in his treatment plans while still remaining completely open, even excited, to try new things when others weren’t working. Unconventional and ground breaking treatments were things he embraced with giddiness while he still relied on the tried and true regularly.

Just over 10 years after that first nerve wracking appointment I went into his office again but then with my husband instead and I was declaring that we were ready to start a family. I think he knew it was going to be a hard road to get my dysfunctional body to perform the gigantic tasks I begged it to but he once again made plans and reassured me it would work out. After a long, emotionally draining, physically brutal year in which he was by my side the whole time it was his nurse that called to confirm that it finally worked. I was pregnant.

My pregnancy felt like anything but the miracle that it truly was. I had hyperemesis gravidarum meaning I was nauseated from the word pregnancy to the word delivery and vomiting was more regular than eating. Dr. Brown didn’t let up then, if anything this gargantuan challenge was for both of us and I couldn’t have asked for a better team mate. Thanks to his necessarily aggressive medical and emotional support, I got through it.

The circle was complete on September 12, 2011 when he pulled my healthy, chubby cheeked son out of me via c-section. He delivered a baby of a baby he had delivered 24 years before that. Awesome.

Me and my brand new baby boy

After that my health took a turn for the worse and he guided us again as we tried to get my body to do what it was meant to do just one more time to have a second baby. When it was finally, unmistakably clear that my body couldn’t handle another brutal pregnancy he was with me, mourning the loss of a baby that wasn’t even a cell… Just a dream.

However, his encouragement, care, and skills were never more displayed than when we agreed it was time for a total hysterectomy at age 26.

He is a rare, genuine gem unlike any other doctor I’ve ever come across. He shares his life with his patients and becomes a part of his patients lives. He knows and remembers things about his patients that aren’t written in their chart and can only be cultivated through a long, genuine relationship. He listens when we talk, he answers questions we didn’t think to ask, explains and demonstrates things in a way anyone can understand, and he goes above and beyond the call of duty. He created a different, safe, personal world within the otherwise sterile confines of healthcare

More than anything he cares for each and every one of his patients. From the young, newly pregnant moms, to the women he shepherds through the many changes of womanhood, to the baby he watched over since the size of a pea.

I would be devastated as the day that Dr. Dennis Brown will hang up his white coat and stethoscope draws near but I can’t think of one person in the world that deserve a long, happy retirement more than him. After years of selfless service and care it is time for him to enjoy the family he has shared with us through proud updates, stories and pictures and for his family to finally get to fully enjoy this wonderful man after sharing him with all of us over the last 40 years.

Dr. Dennis Brown, you are loved and appreciated by so many! My family and I especially want to express our greatest gratitude and appreciation for everything you have done for us all throughout the last 30 years. You have helped, healed, saved, created, and delivered so much to us. 

You trusted me, you listened to me, you talked to me, you laughed with me, you cried with me, you taught me, you healed me, you cared... 

You’ve done well. Now go, be selfish and frivolous! Enjoy life just like thousands are doing because of you!