A Gift for Appreciation of Physician
Threatened by a blood clot in the lower aorta and paralyzed from the waist down, Melvin Young's life hung in the balance as he lay in a French hospital for 25 days following a major heart attack.
After life-saving surgery, Melvin returned to the states from his ill-fated vacation, sold his hugely successful Cadillac dealership, and adopted the philosophy of "walk for life and eat to live" in exchange for a 10-year-survival prognosis. That was 19 years ago and Melvin credits cardiologist Thomas Kehl for helping him meet and beat the decade mark. He also commends the physician for care of Verda Rae Young, his wife of nearly 57 years.
"Dr. Kehl has maintained our health for some 19 years," Melvin says. "When my wife had a fibrillation problem, he checked her right into the hospital, adjusted her medication, and saved her life. In my own experience, he is one of the most outstanding doctors I know. He gives his patients time, explains things thoroughly, reviews all vital signs, and offers his patients information to take back to other doctors."
Their appreciation for Dr. Kehl's care and the service they have received at Community Hospital has inspired the Youngs to give generously to the hospital in support of the Breast Care Center, Sponsored Care, the Cardiopulmonary Fund, and Community Health Education. Most recently, the couple made a planned bequest of $1 million in honor of Dr. Kehl.
"Dr. Kehl," says Melvin, "is a leader, who makes his patients understand there is only so much he can do, and the rest is our responsibility. We're very close to him. He's an outstanding individual, and everyone under his care agrees. He continues to be a wonderful doctor, who really stays on top of the problem and takes good care of us. Plus, I understand he's a great golfer."
Jennifer Macleod also thinks Dr. Kehl is "super," and he isn't even her doctor.
"Dr. Kehl is my husband's cardiologist," she says. "I find him to be very direct, very helpful, and completely focused on his patient. My husband, Rod, is 81. I accompany him to see Dr. Kehl, with my list in hand to go over all the recent happenings. I do all the talking, but he speaks directly to my husband. He doesn't ask me how he's doing; he asks Rod."
Jennifer appreciates the partnership she has forged with Dr. Kehl on behalf of her husband's health. She discusses options and treatments with him, and trusts him to give her a holistic perspective on any issue.
"Once," says Jennifer, "when Dr. Kehl thought we shouldn't do something, he said, 'When you were 10 years old, did you pick a fight in the school yard?' After we said no, he said, 'Well I think if you had this procedure, it would be like picking a fight. And I don't think you want to do that.' Now, we check in regularly to make sure we're not picking a fight."
In appreciation of Dr. Kehl's concerted care, the Macleods have given generously to Community Hospital for the past seven years.
"We also make that same donation in honor of Dr. (Anthony) Shaheen, Sandy Larson (librarian), Dr. (John) Hausdorff, and Dr. (Walter) Holz," says Jennifer. "We are so grateful there is a Community Hospital and for all the people there who help us maintain our health."
It wasn't until after he was in his chief residency that Dr. Kehl narrowed his focus to cardiovas-cular disease and critical care medicine. A graduate of Georgetown University with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry, he commenced from the University of Southern California School of Medicine and has remained in California 30 years.
"I like the medicine involved in cardiology," he says. "At the time of my education, cardiology really didn't have all the technology it has now, and critical care medicine was not yet a specialty. It is the combination of working with the really sick patients I enjoy taking care of, the science of this medicine, and the constantly developing technology that inspires me.
"But the real excitement to me about medicine is the patients I meet, and the relationships I develop with them. I get to meet people from all walks of life, and I get to know them very well. This is tremendous science, a field that continues to evolve, and the learning never stops. It is a very rewarding profession."
When not practicing medicine, the avid golfer gets on the links twice a week and also finds time to play duplicate bridge. His only son, Devin, is a second-year medical student at the University of California, San Francisco.
"My son's interest in medicine is not necessarily something I encouraged," says Dr. Kehl, "but I support him. I try to let him make his own decisions. He may go into cardiology, and he may not. Either way, he's going to make a fine doctor someday."