I first met Tom Godwin in 1988 when I became President and CEO of the Royal Columbian Hospital. At that time he was president of the medical staff and was eminently regarded as an extremely hard-working cardiologist.
He first came to the Royal Columbian in 1968 as the first specialty trained cardiologist (now there are 12) to organize the heart catheterization laboratory, and remained head of the cardiology department from that time until he was elected to the presidency of the medical staff.
When I arrived, there were tremendous pressures to try to get open-heart surgery at the Columbian, but there were many obstacles still to overcome. By organizing a working committee involving physicians, paramedical and administrative staff, along with the assistance of Dr. Willie Keon of the Ottawa Heart Institute, we were eventually able to persuade the provincial government to provide the necessary funding to bring this service to a reality. The open heart and angioplasty services were opened in February 1991.
In my view, with the way in which technology was rapidly evolving, each of these services was overdue, and undoubtedly it was a very wise decision by government because of the life-saving impact it has had on so many patients. The program has since expanded and now the angioplasty service is the busiest service of its kind in Western Canada.
It was a shock to the medical staff, administration, friends and patients when, because of serious medical problems, Dr. Godwin was forced to retire in 1996 at age 59. He subsequently received the C.J. Coady Memorial Medal in 1998 “in recognition of outstanding contributions to cardiology services in the Simon Fraser Health Region of British Columbia.”
After reading the draft of Tom’s book, I couldn’t help but reflect that there is absolutely no doubt that “what you see is what you get” with him. He is sincere, genuine, and honest as the day is long, and he was always highly respected by colleagues and idolized by patients and staff. His anecdotes will draw big pictures for most readers because the stories are fascinating reflections on the challenges that confronted a conscientious physician as the practice of medicine was rapidly evolving. As I read what he refers to as “my little book,” I could hear his voice echoing each word. His experience and insight enable him to simply tell it as it is — warm and human, as well as a delightful read!
James Fair
October 30, 1997
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I thought procedures outlined were very detailed with a lot of humour thrown in to break up the many bizarre occurrences of hospital life. Of course, a lot of this can only happen to Tom!!
I can recall lots more over the years — like that half-eaten tie you so proudly wore for at least a month. It was a very good story.
Tom has put a lot of time and effort into this book. I truly enjoyed reading it; it brought back so many memories. Some names I had truly forgotten; seeing them, so many funny incidents I shared with them came to mind. I can vouch for the statement made to me by Dr. Richard Foulkes [in chapter 2].
Marge McKnight
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The author became acquainted with our family in 1968 when I was a young chartered accountancy student. My mother had been hired by the Royal Columbian Hospital to be the head cardiology technician. Subsequently, my wife worked briefly as a nurse on the cardiology floor of the hospital. Over the ensuing four decades, Tom’s exploits, adventures, and near escapes from “whatever” became legendary.
One might refer to him as Dr. Tom Godwin, FRCP, internal medicine, a.k.a. Tom Godwin, farmer, veterinarian, arborist, conservationist, aviator, aircraft builder/mechanic, sailor, diver, explorer, adventurer, philosopher, and now author. His pursuits have been sufficiently diverse that I am unable to certify that this list is complete!
Some of Tom’s endearing qualities include a degree of irreverence, unconventionality, and eccentricity. He belongs to that rare breed that possess the uncanny ability to shoot from the hip and almost unerringly hit a bull’s eye. Tom does not suffer fools easily. Sometimes these traits got him into more than a little hot water. Certain aspects of his life could inspire sitcoms or movies.
At the Columbian, Dr. Tom Godwin was Chief of Cardiology from 1968 to 1987, and Chief of Medical Staff for two years. During his tenure he was considered the person most responsible for bringing modern cardiology to the hospital. He was awarded the Dr. Cam Coady Medal for “his outstanding contributions to cardiology,” however, fame, fortune, and titles are not his style. Knowing Tom, he would much prefer to be remembered for his good humour, humble and compassionate nature, and professional commitment.
On the home front, this wonderful husband and father was also extremely busy. The family acquired a small Surrey “stump” farm in 1969. Over the years they expanded it into a viable, well-run beef farm, planted thousands of trees, and rehabilitated a salmon-spawning stream on the property. They used very little outside labour to achieve these results.
For those of us outside medical circles, this book portrays an “up close and personal” perspective of the world of medicine. Everybody with more than a passing acquaintance with Tom Godwin recognizes him to be an inveterate and entertaining storyteller. Many of the stories herein are hilarious, some are very sad, and all are interesting and thought provoking. To my knowledge, Tom’s stories are non-fiction. This does not infer that some are unbelievable!
Barry D. McKnight, FCA |
