Vicky, as she affectionately liked us to call her, was my mother . Her name was Virginia, but everyone knew her as Vicky. She was a doctor and practiced as a general practitioner.

From a young age, when I woke up to go to school, my mother had already left for work. She left home very early to see her patients. In the afternoon, after finishing her first job, she had a few free hours and then saw her patients at her private clinic.  It was very common for me to go to her private clinic after school, seeing how her patients arrived and were attended to in a personalized way by her, with the consultations being a little longer than normal.

I wondered why these consultations were so long and I understood that Vicky divided her consultation into two parts: the medical part and the personal part.  She took all the time necessary to examine her patients and ask them how their lives were, what situations they were going through, what worries they had, and talk about everything her patients wanted to tell her.  She was empathetic with her patients, taking an interest in how they were emotionally, dedicating herself to listening to them and understanding them.  This gesture from Vicky made her patients feel special, in addition to receiving treatment for their medical conditions. Vicky was a very down-to-earth person, kind to everyone, treating all people equally and always willing to help those in need.

Personally, whenever I was sick, Vicky was always by my side, looking after my health at all times, until I recovered. Even after I got married, she made time to be very attentive to me and my family when we were sick.  She was extremely dedicated to her patients, treating each one with love and great patience. That's why she was the best doctor for her patients.  the doctor who  He healed, but he saw the heart of everyone he cared for. 

Vicky died at the age of 81 and left an indelible mark on all of us who were around her.  Her funeral was filled with people who were very grateful to her. It was like a flower festival, as bouquets of flowers flooded the place.  To our surprise, on the day of her funeral several people approached us to express how grateful they were to Vicky for always listening to them, for encouraging them when they were going through difficult times and making their lives happier, but what impressed us the most was a lady we didn't know who told us that Vicky had brought her groceries from the supermarket every week when she had lost her job.

When people ask me which woman I admire most in this world, my automatic answer is Vicky.  She represents my role model, that person who profoundly influenced me and left me with indelible lessons, some of which are:

 -Treat all people equally

-Always have a positive attitude towards all situations in life.

-To help those who need it most

-And her favorite phrase, which she had printed on small cards that were given to those who visited her, was  PECC, which means:

-Do not protest

Don't get bored

-No criticism

-And above all, trust in God.

As a mother of two, I long to leave my own teachings in them, just as Vicky left hers imprinted on my heart.

By:

Roxana Romero de Gamero

rromero@novislegal.com