Kauvery Kathaigal – 4
The spirit of the uniform: Patriotism wins over the disease
“Old Soldiers never die; they simply fade away” – General Douglas McArthur, Commander in Chief, US Army, the Pacific Region, 1935
Case at a Glance
An elderly veteran, frail and cognitively clouded. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, Coronary Artery Disease (Post-CABG), Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), and Atrial Fibrillation. Presented here with rectal bleeding, severe anemia, and fatigue.
A shared military identity that reawakened his “soldier’s spirit.”
Patient Story
On the second floor of the general ward lay a man who seemed to be fading into the sheets. To the clinical eye, he was a complex “poly-morbid” case—his heart was scarred from an old bypass, his kidneys were failing, and Parkinson’s had stolen his voice and steady hands. On blood thinners for his irregular heartbeat, he had suffered a gastrointestinal bleed that left him profoundly anemic and incoherent.
He was an old soldier from our Armed Forces who was no longer fighting; he was waiting. But beneath the sad, crumpled and exterior lay a history that the medical charts had missed. When I leaned in and spoke the words, “We are both ex-soldiers. I am a Colonel,” the clinical diagnosis was momentarily eclipsed by a lifelong code of honor. The man who couldn’t find his words suddenly found his fire. In an instant, the tremors of Parkinson’s were overruled by the muscle memory of the parade ground. He snapped to attention—ramrod straight—and the ward echoed with a thunderous “Jai Hind!” that bridged the gap between a dying body and an indomitable soul.
Treatment Plan
Hemodynamic Stabilization: Urgent blood transfusions to address the anemia and restore oxygen delivery to his tired heart. He was eventually discharged to his family, sitting upright, with the dignity of his service fully restored.
Conclusion
This case serves as a powerful reminder that clinical medicine has its limits. We can transfuse blood and stabilize heart rhythms, but we cannot “prescribe” the will to live. That must be found within the patient’s own story. For this man, the cure wasn’t just in the IV bags—it was in the recognition of who he was before he became a patient. When we treat the identity, the body often follows the spirit’s lead.
"We do not just treat bodies; we treat histories, honors, and hearts. When a patient remembers who they are, they remember how to fight."
