No surgery is so small that it doesn’t create at least a little anxiety. It’s always a serious matter, even when it doesn’t involved general anaesthetic.
Waking up from it to something unexpected is generally a nightmare, but for one woman, it turned into a surprisingly heartwarming experience that she couldn’t help sharing with the world.
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As so many of us do, India Marshall woke up from surgery a bit confused.
However, it wasn’t so much the effects of the anaesthetic but what had happened while she was asleep: she had gone to sleep with two braids in her hair, and when she woke up, she had six – all neat and proper, with bands on the ends.
Where many surgeons might take pride in tight stitches, this surgeon had put his nimble fingers to work on her hair, and might have humble-bragged a bit about it.
As she explained on Twitter, she thought her nurses had done the braids, but it turned out her surgeon had done his own handiwork. After years of braiding his daughters’ hair, he’d gotten the system down pat and put it to use in his practice – with good reason.
Braids, in addition to staples rather than stitches, allowed him to perform the procedure without damaging her hair.
Which is to say, he was able to avoid shaving her forehead, a consideration India greatly appreciated, as any of us would.
“When I have to make incisions in the scalp, I normally do my best to move hair out of the way to avoid shaving the head and, when long enough, braiding is the best method,” her surgeon, Dr. Jewel Greywoode said in a press release . “When the hair is very thick and curly, as was the case with Mrs. Marshall, it is especially important, because a braid will protect her hair and prevent knots and tangles.”
That level of consideration struck a chord with Marshall.
“It was a kind of emotional moment, especially when he brought up his daughters,” Marshall told Today. “I am one of four girls in my family. So just thinking of especially a father, but a Black father, doing his daughters’ hair … some people know natural hair is a lot to deal with, so him being very involved in doing his hair and taking the time to do that for me before surgery was huge.”
It struck a chord with people reading along on Twitter, too.
“THIS is among the millions upon millions of reasons why we need diversity in medicine,” one person wrote .
“There is a level of care that only people who have walked in your shoes… even just a little bit… can provide.”
“That is so incredibly thoughtful and caring of him. Most docs will just shave what they need,” wrote another person. “That is a lovely, lovely doctor. So humble and human to take that time and think of you, not just of his job. I am super impressed.”
For his part, Dr. Greywoode said he was “overwhelmed” by the reaction online.
“I am overwhelmed by the response and appreciative. I was just doing what I normally do for all my patients,” he said. “I think the reactions highlight the importance of treating each patient as an individual and doing what’s best for them. In this particular instance, I have a unique perspective because I have daughters with hair that is very similar to hers and I know how important protecting the hair is.”
However, Marshall didn’t seem surprised that so many people found her surgeon’s gesture so moving.
“As black women, especially, we don’t get that a lot,” Marshall told WSOC . “So, I just wanted to share with other people how important it is for us to have providers that not only look like us but can identify with us.”