Chicago neurosurgeon had to do a six-hour surgery in the middle of the night. He says it was worth it: ‘That is honestly a price I’m willing to pay’
It's his calling.
Dr. Zayed Almadidy from Chicago (@dr.z_neurosurgery) was called in the middle of the night to perform emergency surgery on a patient. Despite losing hours of sleep, he believes that it was worth getting up for his patient.
“I had to come in the middle of the night to do an emergency case, and I’ve been operating for the last six hours, I would say,” the doctor told TikTok. Almadidy said he was already sleeping when one of his colleagues, a physician assistant, called him. A patient was involved in an accident and needed emergency surgery. He agreed to take the case, but it didn’t come without personal cost.
“I had to sacrifice three, four, or five hours of sleep. But the reality is, the sacrifice I make is transient. The result that they get is permanent,” Almadidy said. Ultimately, however, Almadidy thinks these sacrifices are worth it if it means improving a patient’s quality of life.
He continued, “So, the sacrifice I make is only a few hours. But the recovery they make is for a lifetime. That is honestly a price that I’m willing to pay.” The doctor explained that while he might have lost sleep because of the patient, the results of the surgery are something they’ll have to live with for the rest of their lives.
While Almadidy believes the sacrifices are worthwhile, this woman, a nurse for 17 years, talked about her long hours and her subsequent burnout. Not everyone has this doctor’s passion for healthcare, as he’s shown in his other videos on TikTok.
Not his first midnight surgery call
Eventually, he left the hospital building, and the outside world still looked noticeably dark. When he got home, Almadidy explained that he was technically still on call. Moreover, he still had a full day ahead of him after that long night.
In a separate video, Almadidy got called in at 1:15 in the morning. From that surgery, he claimed that he “saved a life.” Despite being out so late, the doctor expressed, “There’s very few things in this world that feel as satisfying as knowing that you gave somebody another chance at life.”
But the patient isn’t the only one affected after a surgery. Almadidy talked about their families and how they often sat anxiously in the waiting room for news. He observed, “Anytime you go into the waiting room, every single family member in that waiting room is waiting to find out how the rest of their life is going to change.”
The doctor said he always made it a point to leave the operating room with a smile to let the family know that everything was okay. When he reassured the families, he said he could see the tension on their shoulders disappear. He said, “The quicker you can relieve them of that stress of not knowing, the better. Because one second to them feels like an eternity.” These are late-night and, at times, abrupt calls. Nevertheless, Almadidy has frequently expressed his gratitude for being able to treat his patients.
But not all healthcare workers are as attentive to their patients and their families. One former EMS paramedic said that after her purpling patient was left to perish in the waiting room by hospital staff, she was inspired to become a nurse herself.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Follow The Mary Sue:
