Dr. Andy Bridge – I Feel Heard and Taken Care of

Family Doctor: Andy Bridge

I don’t have a single story that stands out for me, but I have to give the biggest props to our family doctor. I have a family of seven and we are all a bit complex with weird symptoms and oddities that we have been gaslit over the years for. We have been called hypochondriacs or just being told we have anxiety. Dr Bridge has never made me feel like I was making things up and he has always taken the time to investigate the issues we had. In the two and a half years that we have been seeing him, he has helped us get multiple diagnoses such as celiac disease and has helped lead us to specialists who were able to treat our conditions. He makes time for us, including adapting to our schedules if we need a phone visit versus coming in person. I feel heard and taken care of.

Often in the wider healthcare system, a person can feel like just a number, a chart or just another illness/condition. Family doctors recognize and ensure that you feel like a person and that you matter. You’re more than just a paycheck or a puzzle to solve. They take care of you and your family from the start of life until the end of life in a lot of cases and it is a unique relationship where you can trust someone that deeply with your mental and physical well-being.

So, thank you to all family doctors – but most of all, thank you to mine for dealing with my chaotic house of accident-prone weirdos!

Kimmy, Lethbridge