StoryCorps at SHC: Philip Georgy & Andrew Moore, MD

Andrew Moore (AM): I think the first time we met, which was now almost five years ago, which is wild, I think it had been clear just from hearing your story that you had been through so much. And I think the majority of that time was honestly just spent having you talk through your experience and how it affected your life and all the struggles you had. 

I think it's easy as a doctor to get into the humdrum of just treating medical conditions, but working with you, it really turned it into taking care of a person and working towards mutual goals and making sure that we're making progress. Not just by treating one condition or another condition, but really thinking about what is it that's important to you. 

Philip Georgy (PG): First of all, you were always interested to see how I feel and what's really also touch me that you always start where we left off from the previous visit, as if I am the only patient you have. 

I mean, my heart goes out to you and every care provider, but it is a journey that patient and the care provider, team together to defeat the illness. And you met me where I am. I didn't really expect it that the care provider should fix me within one visit. No, that was never my goal. But you helped me, you encouraged me, you were always inspired to see me. And that meant so much in my life. That kept me going, because if you care, I moved forward. I didn't go backwards. Meaning I could have taken on more illness, such as depression. And I am so grateful and I'm so thankful, not being depressed in a very complicated, depressive situation. And you always touch on that. How do you feel? And you out of your way, you tried to find social support, community support. 

Dr. Moore, this disability that it came out of, nowhere on March 2nd, 2016. From running like a horse around, the sky was my limit, to wake up in the morning, cannot move, cannot get out of bed. I have to look positively on that now. And I say, without being forced to have this disability, I would've never been slowed down the way I needed it. And I felt I was most needed to slow down, but I would've never slowed down without this disability. I look even on this disability today, I look positively on it that I'm slowed down. 

I'm spending more time with people. I'm taking time to think about everything in life. About who's helping me, who is really a friend and the new life with the care provider that I have never met someone with a white coat until March 2nd, 2016. I never even had a PCP. It was a new transition to move into not working in the healthcare but being involved in the healthcare. It opened my eyes as a patient. And if I may add, it is helping me to move forward right now.  

AM: I think I learned a lot just working with you and I so appreciate your willingness to work with me. And I think we spoke to this a little bit earlier, but you're right, I think many of the trainees you work with at Stanford are young and we're learning. And I think we have so much to learn from working with people like you and your willingness to work with trainees across probably a lot of Stanford, for better or for worse, I know difficult at times for you, but I can only imagine the number of people in trainees that you've impacted in positive ways over the years. And so I so appreciate that. And I think I speak for all the trainees who have worked with you, who would say the same. 

PG: Thank you for saying that. And again, thank you for sharing your good heart and caring for me.  

Produced by Stanford Health Care with interviews recorded in collaboration with StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and share humanity's stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world www.storycorps.org

Sound Editor: Amy Hu

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