David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

depressed. I never sat with a parent and
cried about a child dying. That’s nothing
I would ever do in my role as a doctor.
As a parent I might do it. My kids died,
I’d probably go crazy. But as a doctor,
you swear to give people hope. That’s
your job.”
Freireich continued on in this vein for
several more minutes until the full force
of his personality became nearly
overwhelming. We all want a physician
who doesn’t give up and who doesn’t
lose hope. But we also want a physician
who can stand in our shoes and
understand what we are feeling. We
want to be treated with dignity, and
treating people with dignity requires