Dear Bob,
I am surprised and so sorry to hear of Sid’s passing, but I am also grateful for the reasons you indicate – that he went out while still sharp and able-bodied.
Sid was my mentor during my first three years of UCSF medical school, while I was jointly a graduate student at Berkeley via the Joint Medical Program (JMP). Sid was also a dear friend. We met up once last year during my hyper-busy fourth year of clinical rotations. He and I picked up a selection of deli goodies from nearby Piedmont Grocery and brought them back to eat at his apartment. I last heard his voice in August on his birthday when I tried to call him from where I am living and doing research this year, Durban, South Africa. The connection was poor and he couldn’t hear me well enough to understand that it was me, but he was cordial and polite as always and asked me to try him back again later.
Sid was one of the most genuine people I have ever known and it brings tears to my eyes to think about our friendship and his passing. He was also a great teacher (if perhaps cutting me too much slack at times because he was so nice). To me, his most important lesson was that being a great doctor had most to do with being a great human being, with always treating others with sincere respect and decency – be they patients or otherwise.
I’m sorry for your family’s loss. Sid will be missed. May we all carry a piece of his kindness with us always.
Sincerely,
Asa