Dr Graham Serjeant was empathetic and compassionate

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I read with sadness the recent article by Dr Jennifer Knight-Madden on the passing of Dr Graham Serjeant. He was well -known among his medical peers for his extensive research on sickle cell disease. What I don’t think is discussed enough is the sense of caring and hope which he brought to the families of his young patients. Dr Serjeant was a researcher and a clinician, but also an empathetic, understanding doctor.

One of my most prominent memories of our visits to the sickle cell clinic with two children diagnosed with the disease was when Dr Serjeant took us to the waiting room at the clinic and pointed out to two somewhat discouraged parents the wide age range of patients waiting to be seen. In wanting us to understand that sickle cell disease was not necessarily a sentence to premature death, he explained that many of the patients were over 60 and, in fact, there were several in their 70s. Articles written at that time about the experience of sickle cell disease among African-American patients were still indicating that their life span ended in their teens. I still have memories of that waiting room on what must have been our first visit to the clinic. I can almost see the patients: children, teenagers, adults and, most importantly, older adults. I also remember Dr Serjeant’s kindness. He took the time to reassure us.

Many years after I first met Dr Serjeant at his clinic in Jamaica, I attended a lecture that he gave at the University of Toronto. The large lecture theatre was full. Many of the parents of former patients and former patients were in attendance. These were individuals like myself who had attended his clinic in Jamaica and were now residents of Toronto attending the Sickle Cell Clinic at the Hospital for Sick Children. What I remember most about that lecture was that, after the lecture, this older physician was greeted by past patients and their parents, mostly women, like a rock star. He had had such a prominent role in helping them to live with a chronic illness, and had done it in such a warm and caring manner. The emotional welcome to Dr Sergeant was heart-warming. It was amazing to observe the response. He was more than a physician to those families. He was also a compassionate friend.

ROSE GIBBS