Dr. Stanley M. Berry
Dr. Stanley M. Berry: "Somebody has to do it."
At 66, and nearing retirement, Dr. Stanley M. Berry, didn't have to raise his hand and volunteer to help fight the coronavirus.
But that's what the Hutzel Women's Hospital doctor, who's also a Wayne State University obstetrics professor, did.
Berry tells his story to Time:
I was planning to retire and finish my novel in the next year or two. I’m essentially an obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancy. I only work three days a week right now, and one of those days is for research and mentoring.
But Michigan needed to “repurpose” some physicians who were willing to volunteer to treat COVID-19 patients. I submitted my name. I haven’t been assigned yet, but if they tell me they need people in the emergency room, that’s where I’ll go. I still know how to listen to lungs and take a medical history and do a physical, so I can contribute there. I don’t know how this is going to play out, because I’m almost 67.
A number of my friends have called to try to discourage me from volunteering, because of my age. One of my buds was really harsh. My rejoinder was: "What if your wife had to go to the hospital? You’d want someone to take care of her. Somebody has to do it." There were some tears shed by my fiancée, but she expressed an understanding of where I’m coming from.
► Read his full story.
