“Hi!” “Hi, Chloe.”
“How are you?” I came to Boys Town in 2004 and I
really wasn't looking for a position at all. I was very happy in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Pat Brookhouser gave me a call and told me that he needed a cochlear implant surgeon
and that was pretty intriguing. I was doing cochlear implants in Fort Collins,
but not the volume that I really wanted to do.
Anybody that knows Pat Brookhouser knows that he’s pretty persuasive and we decided to
go on and come here. I’ve really never looked back. It was absolutely the right decision
for us. I told him I’d give him 8 years and 10 years
later we’ve decided to make the move back to Colorado.
I’m still going to be working part time but very part time while I’m back there.
“She should do great.” “Good. Thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome.” Medicine, for me, has always been a calling.
That feeling or that approach to medicine has been very fulfilling. I’ve been blessed
to have really good people around me throughout my entire career.
“That tube looks great.” “This too.”
“That one too?” “Ok.”
I would say that I’m good with kids because I love kids.
I really do appreciate the ability and opportunity to help with their care, and just to watch
them develop. I really try to speak with the kids as much
as I can. I try to address the kids first when I walk into the room and parents secondly.
I don’t know. It’s just part of who I am I guess.
“Give me five.” “That a boy!”
Making the decision to retire was personally, very difficult for me and the reason was that
I hated to give up the clinical side of medicine. The one-on-one relationships not only with
the kids, but with the parents, are really the most rewarding thing.
What makes Dr. Lusk so special as a physician is that he has obviously shown a great deal
of care for the patient. When he first came to Omaha, he was the only
Fellowship-trained, Pediatric Otolaryngologist in the city.
As a result of that, it put him on call 24/7 for the NICUs around town.
What we saw here at Boys Town was his reestablishment of the cochlear implant program, the special-needs
kids. That was his heart, that’s what his passion has been.
I’m just incredibly thankful that I’ve been able to be involved in cochlear implantations
because the impact that you have on the family and on the child is like nothing else that’s
out there that you can do. You really do change lives. You get to see
it over time. You have to be in to delayed gratification, especially with implantation
in kids. They don’t come out talking. After you implant them you don’t expect them to
talk. It takes time and it takes years, but when you get to seem then come back and when
we talk about them in team and see how they’re doing, it’s really very, very rewarding.
“Who helps you hear?” “Dr. Lusk!”
“Dr. Lusk does?” “Do you like him?”
“Yes!” When we go in, Chloe goes running and give
him a hug. To me that’s special, she doesn’t do that to everybody. She understands his
connection to her just as much as we do as parents.
“The fireworks go over the goat.” How do you thank someone who gave your child
the gift of hearing so she can communicate with her family, with her friends, and with
strangers? If it wasn’t for Dr. Lusk, our story, Chloe’s
story, would not be a success story. I want to thank him for living the mission
of Boys Town. He has made a difference in the lives of children and he should take great
pleasure in that. I’ve been blessed. I don’t know another
term to put on it. Part of it is hard to accept because I can’t
believe retirement is here, but it is. I’m looking forward to the next chapter,
we both are. The sadness or the regret is leaving Boys Town.
I guess what I’d like to say to my co-workers here at Boys Town is that I've appreciated very
much being able to work with them. I’ve enjoyed the nurses and the staff here. They
are very supportive. I’ve had a chance to work with people in all parts of the country
and the staff at Boys Town is really superb and the best that I’ve ever worked with.
I think for the cochlear implants that I’ve put in, those families and those patients;
I’m leaving you in good hands. Dr. Kang is going to take good care of you.
Even though I’m in Colorado, I’m there for them. Not in an official capacity but
they can give me a call anytime. Boys Town will now how to get a hold of me and if I
can be of help to them or help support them, I’d be more than happy to.
Connie and I would tell you or anybody that we really felt like we were led here. This
is what we were supposed to do. Prayerful consideration is what brought us here and
we haven’t looked back and we’ve never regretted it. We’re going to miss Omaha
a great deal.