Dr. Brown: Sorry I'm late. What's on the plate this morning?
Rose Baker: Geraldine Williams is waiting in room three.
Dr. Brown: Ah, let's see. Six weeks, herbal tea, and yoga in the Arizona desert didn't magically make her diabetes go away.
Rose Baker: No, but she had a wonderful vacation. And I'm sure she'll tell you all about it.
Dr. Brown: Hmm. You'd think losing a leg to diabetes would make someone take their condition a little more seriously. Chart?
Dr. Brown: Good morning, Geraldine. And here we are again. How are you feeling?
Geraldine Williams: I can't complain.
Dr. Brown: Have you thought any more about what we talked about last time? Look. I'll be blunt and honest with you. We need to admit you to the hospital and make sure we know what's going on with your diabetes. We can get your insulin regulated and work on the right diet and medication for your weight and your heart disease. Geraldine, your diabetes is very serious business. The fact that you've had so many symptoms -- dizziness, possible vision impairment, a bladder infection, pain and burning in your remaining foot. And let's not forget your heart disease. These are bad news. The sooner we find out what's going on, the faster we can get you treated properly.
Geraldine Williams: But, Doctor, I feel so much better since coming back from Arizona. Everybody there said I was getting --
Dr. Brown: Geraldine. I'm sure you do feel better, but that doesn't change the fact that we still need to act. Diabetes is a very complicated disease that can't be cured by herb tea anymore than Tylenol can cure a gunshot wound. They'll make you feel relaxed, but they're not going to treat your diabetes or your weight problem. The people at the hospital are highly trained professionals who know how to deal with this type of thing. All I'm asking is that we do some tests, and then we'll know.
Geraldine Williams: I don't want the hospital. I don't care. I won't go there. My husband went into the hospital when he got sick, and he never came out. They already took my leg. I won't die like that in some teeny little room that smells of sickness. Anonymously. I'm not just another name on a chart. My people in the desert, they taught me how to take care of myself just like we've been taking care of ourselves since before there was a name for diabetes. And you want to send me off to the hospital to die like an old horse. Well,I won't do it. My family was with me and I wasn't afraid. I was at peace.
Dr. Brown: I can't believe it. She really and truly believes that traditional folk medicine would cure her and that the hospital would kill her.