ABSTRACT
I flailed against the sentence I felt he had handed me. He listened to my convoluted, alternative explanations . . . He was very tough, as well as very kind, and even though he understood more than anyone how much I was losing – in energy and vivacity, and originality – by taking medication, he never was seduced into losing sight of the overall perspective of how costly, damaging and life threatening my illness was . . . He treated me with respect, a decisive professionalism, wit, and an unshakable belief in my ability to get well, compete and make a difference.
