I was never a good sleeper. When I get out of bed in the morning, I leave a mess behind me from my tossing and turning. I don’t nap during the day yet I function well.
At the completion of my last physical exam, my doctor at Kaiser said, “Morrie, I don’t know what you are doing but whatever it is keep doing it. You are much older than I am but in better shape.”
The last time I saw Dr. Hersch was when, to my surprise, he was a patient at Kaiser. Walking down the hall, I saw him in a bed.
“Dr. Hersch, what are you doing on the wrong side of the bed?”
He laughed and harangued me with a barrage of words. I don’t hear well and understood little of what he said. I just kept nodding as he was speaking. After about 10 minutes, I said, “Dr. Hersch, I’m leaving. I wish you well and hope that soon you will be back to your former job.”
He smiled and waved as I was leaving.
I never saw him again and to this day don’t know what happened to him. He had a reputation of being one of the best doctors.
Betty and I felt lucky being assigned to him.
I will always remember his saying to me after that exam.
August 12, 2020
Morrie Markoff - Born Jan. 11, 1914 - Passed June 3, 2024 