A Patient's Daughter Thanks Dr. Gabriel Valle And The Kidney Group

We received the following letter from Robyn, the daughter of our patient Antone Andrade, a former 5 star chef. Tony was a kind and gentle man who lit up a room. Often accompanied to our office by his daughter and young grandchildren, he was a pleasure to be around. He was also blind. In the letter, Robyn (of whom he was so proud) talks about his struggle with #kidney disease, and about his experience with Dr. Valle and The Kidney Group. She has allowed us to re-print it. It has been almost 7 months since my dad, Antone "Tony" Andrade, passed away. For 7 months I have been meaning to write this letter of gratitude and admiration. How does one put these emotions into words? Prepare yourselves, this is probably going to be a few pages long. Many years ago Dad moved with us to South Florida with a new kidney. Thanks to a wonderful doctor by the name of Nassberg we were introduced to your office. Stepping into your waiting room was like stepping into your living-room. Immediately we felt at home. An amazing thing happened that first day; Dr. Valle earned Dad's trust. This was a miracle in itself as Dad had been through so much and had become quite cynical over the years. The first thing that impressed me and continued to impress me over the years with your family, (Please forgive me, but the word "staff" just doesn't seem appropriate) was that EVERYONE treated Dad as he person that he was not just another medical case. Over the years people, including medical staff and sadly myself in medical situations had begun to treat Dad as a "case". We would all talk about him not to him. Doctors and nurses would ask my husband and I how he was feeling, discuss his treatments, diagnostics and results. I would then relay that information to him later on. Completely forgetting that he was right there the whole time. Well, Dr. Valle put a stop to that on Day one! When we first stepped into his office I went through my usual spiel that included Dad's history, Dr. Valle listened and even took notes. Once I had finished my long winded version of Dad's "case" Dr. Valle politely ignored me and began what no other doctor had done, asking Dad questions and speaking directly to him! In that very moment I saw my father sit up taller, lift his head and have a conversation man to man with Dr. Valle. On that very day, Dr. Valle gave my father back his life as a person. He was no longer just a medical case or a bundle of symptoms of his disease. Oh boy! I see this is getting long! I warned you, lol. Mia, Mia, Mia, you made prior authorizations look like a breeze. Not once in all the years of phone calls, requests, cries for help , did you lose your cool or turn me away. How you did that I will never know. Stephanie and Marilyn, helping us into the office with kids, gigantic wheel chairs, and diaper bags, that takes skill. The patience you showed was nothing less than amazing, the squeeze in doctor appointments. In know I missing a lot of you but It would take all day to name how special you all are. Please, if you didn't see your name, don't think that you have been forgotten or overlooked, I am extremely grateful to all of you. Over the years Dad's illness took him into a deep depression, it was great to see his spirits soar when he knew he was coming in for an office visit. It was more than a "check-up" to him, it was a visit with good friends. He would talk about "his girls" all the way home and ask me what you all looked like, he would try to imagine your beauty. He couldn't see with his eyes but claimed to be able to see the beauty of your souls. The only part about being blind that he was grateful for. Doctors Ajuria, Bejar and Hernandez, please know that we are also so appreciative of how much you did for Dad. If I'm to be honest, I know he wasn't always the nicest guy to all of you. Please don't take that personal it's just that you weren't his "Dr. Valle". Please understand that he trusted and respected each of you and ultimately knew that without all of you Dr. Valle couldn't have done it alone. You were all so willing to take the time to explain things to us so that we could understand what was happening. You always returned phone calls immediately no matter how small the issue of concern. I can't even begin to count all the times you pulled him back from the Brink. Not one of you gave up! Not one of you told him to stop fighting! You all did everything you could and when that didn't work you did more and because of that we were blessed with many more years than we should have had. Most importantly, you let him go on his own terms. He didn't want to die in a nursing home or hospice care. He didn't even want to die at home with us. He wanted to be at Holy Cross, your house. We know the insurance company was pushing for his discharge as there really was nothing left to do but to give him supportive care. But, somehow, miraculously one of you ordered one more test or made one last attempt to kickstart his kidney. Please realize that you gave him piece of mind, you gave him the comfort of being in a place that he felt safe and most of all loved. A place where God knew to come get him. He passed peacefully in his sleep. When my husband woke me that night/morning to tell me Dad had passed I was beside myself with grief and anger. I was so angry at myself for letting him die alone. What I found when I arrived at the hospital was a man, my father laying peacefully in his bed. He looked comfortable for the first time in a long long time and had the face of a younger man. He most certainly was not alone. Thank you for not only giving him back his life as a man, an actual person, for giving my children the opportunity to know and be loved by their proud "Bampy", but for letting him die with dignity as a well respected, retired 5 star chef, who was a courageous man who did the best he could with what he had. With Love, Respect, Admiration and Eternal Gratitude, Robyn Miannay --the daughter of an amazing man.