We knew we wanted someone who was familiar with the things that Nathan had been through and could help us as we moved forward. But we had no idea where to find such a doctor.
Since we didn't know where to start, we decided that it would be better to have a recommendation on a doctor instead of taking our chances googling pediatricians in our area. So we asked a few friends with young children their opinions of their pediatricians.
At this same time, Nathan was having a genetic study done by Dr. Alan F. Rope to determine if there were any genetic issues involved in any of Nathan's medical problems. Dr. Rope asked us if we had selected a pediatrician yet, to which we replied that we hadn't but that we were looking. He asked if we minded if he made a recommendation, which of course we did not.
In a couple of days when Dr. Rope had finalized his report (which showed that Nathan had no genetic problems), he included the recommendation of Dr. Matthew J. Cornish as Nathan's pediatrician.
After reading Dr. Rope's report, Nathan's NICU doctor, Dr. Yoder, asked if we had gotten Dr. Cornish as our pediatrician. We commented that we had not yet, but that it was only a recommendation from Dr. Rope. Dr. Yoder said that he was acquainted with Dr. Cornish's father, who was also a doctor, and that the younger Dr. Cornish would be an excellent choice for Nathan's pediatrician.
Since we so highly valued Dr. Yoder's opinion, we decided that it would be a supremely good idea to check into Dr. Cornish. So we went to his practice website and read his bio:
"Dr. Cornish practices in our Orem Timpanogos Office. His practice interests include caring for children with special healthcare needs, acute care management, longitudinal care, and clinical and quality research. He was raised in the military and traveled extensively until his family settled in Georgia. He is fluent in Spanish. He loves watching his children grow, those at work and at home. His hobbies include playing the organ, volleyball, gardening, cooking, and golf."
From what I read, I was convinced that Dr. Cornish would be the perfect choice as Nathan's pediatrician. It was like Divine Providence had once again smiled upon us. And as a major bonus, he was also a graduate of the same University as both of us. Can't go wrong with that!
So the next day, Bekah called Dr. Cornish's office to inquire about Nathan becoming a patient. Unfortunately, the receptionist informed her that Dr. Cornish was no longer accepting new patients, but that this other doctor was and asked if we would like to schedule an appointment with him. Somewhat stunned, Bekah informed her that she would need to check with me and get back to her.
Well, that definitely wasn't Divine Providence! My first thought was that it was highly disappointing. My second thought was that they should put things like that on their website so that I don't get my hopes up.
So after all that, we were still no closer to finding a pediatrician than we were a couple of day before. And now, we had to come up with a Plan B.
Finding a Pediatrician is so important and so difficult. I couldn't imagine how hard it must have been trying to find one you felt comfortable with who could really take care of Nathan and his special needs. Our first Pediatrician was actually a doctor that I was a nanny for. It was dissapointing when things didn't work out and I didn't feel comfortable with her anymore. The next one was great but he had medical issues that actually caused him to give up practicing. I went through four more before finding our current Pediatrition. I knew he was going to be wonderful from the first time I met him. Even though his office is up in Orem we still take the kids there because I like him so much and I don't think I'll find another one like him (nor do I want to try.)
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