A Thousand Dollar Shoebox
A doctor in Mexico saves a woman's life after a local hospital misdiagnoses her. The doctor performs emergency surgery for a twisted ovarian cyst. The patient's husband pays the doctor a thousand dollars in one-dollar bills, a gesture of gratitude that deeply touches the doctor.
You might think that doctors lead glamorous lives. You know, saving lives by day, sipping cocktails by night. We picture them cruising around in fast cars, showing off their miracle hands like Formula One drivers show off their pit crew. But let me tell you, medicine isn’t all stethoscopes and rounds of applause. In fact, sometimes, it's more about being paid with a shoe box full of crumpled dollar bills and the reward of an unforgettable story.
Let’s rewind the clock 30 years, to a quiet little corner of Coahuila, Mexico, in a town so small that if you blinked while driving through, you’d probably miss it altogether. This is where my father, Dr. Antonio Corona de la Fuente, practiced medicine with the skill and precision of a man who not only loved his profession but seemed to have a particular affinity for turning catastrophic situations into… well, slightly less catastrophic ones. And on this occasion, he wasn’t just about to save a life; he was about to set into motion an event that would stay in the annals of our family history forever.
