Dear Racist Doctors, Do You Believe I’m Dying Now?
Medical racism ain't no joke.
“Mommy, I don’t know what’s wrong.”
I had just eaten some Italian cheese bread my mom bought from Little Caesar’s. A sharp pain pierced my stomach a few minutes later.
I slept in agony, thinking the pain would magically disappear.
The pain turned from piercing to stabbing as soon as I woke up. I could barely get out of bed. I cried in pure torture as my Grandma helped me in the tub. I couldn’t wait another day.
I went to the emergency room.
As the nurse pushed a sensor against my ribs, I couldn’t help but moan.
“Your appendix looks inflamed.”
The next thing I know, I spent the night in the hospital.
They took DAYS to operate on me.
The doctors confirmed I had appendicitis quickly. So by my logic, I thought they’d operate on me as soon as possible.
I started counting the days I laid in my hospital bed in pain. It hurt like hell to use the bathroom. Every night they’d wake me up from my peaceful slumber to check my vitals.
I probably got stabbed for an IV about twenty times since they “couldn’t find my veins.”
Five days went by and they finally decided to do my surgery.
When they knocked my ass out on anesthesia, a couple of peculiar things happened. This is coming from my mom.
- The doctor thought I was 16 when they laid me out on the operating table — I was ten at the time.
- The doctor said my appendix had already burst inside of me and that “it was really bad.” I guess it’ll get that way waiting for FIVE days to operate on someone.
Now that I look back on that painful experience, I realize it wasn’t just an accident on the doctor’s part.
I’m a victim of medical racism.
And all Black people are — without knowing it.
The horrible things that doctors have done to Black patients are unimaginable.
I’m not going to get graphic because I’m freaking tired of the trauma porn.
But I’ve been reading a book called “Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans” by Harriet A. Washington.
Reading this book is like a mental beatdown.
Do you know those illnesses and chronic diseases that Black people just always get more than white people? It’s not some genetic deficiency within Black people.
The doctors did it! *In my Sherlock Holmes voice*
“A closer look at the troubling numbers reveals that blacks are dying not of exotic, incurable, poorly understood illnesses nor of genetic diseases that target only them, but rather from common ailments that are more often prevented and treated among whites than blacks.”
I knew medical racism happened, but not to this extent.
I almost fucking died when I got appendicitis. All because the doctor thought I was 16 and could withstand enough pain. It’s crazy how Black people are treated as super slaves that can withstand any amount of pain and suffering you throw at them.
I know family members who have experienced medical racism — and died because of it.
I’m not going to let that happen to ANYONE else in my family, nor any other Black person I come in contact with.
Here’s what we could do to eradicate medical racism.
Well, the brunt of the issue is on medical professionals so…good luck with that doc!
Here are a few things Black patients can do to safeguard themselves:
- Find a Black doctor — I know it’s hard, but it could save your life. Recent studies have shown that having a Black doctor caused Black men to receive more effective healthcare. The mortality rate for Black newborns (and maybe for Black women during childbirth) is cut dramatically when Black doctors care for them after birth. Ask other medical professionals and see if you could get a hold of one.
- Hold your doctor accountable — Make sure you’re getting the best medical care. How? By scaring the shit out of them. People have sued for medical malpractice before. Let them know that you’re not playing. If you feel sick, tell them they need to do something about it, or else.
I know this isn’t much, but this is just a start in our long battle of eradicating medical racism.
I could’ve brought up Black infant mortality rates and Black women childbirth death rates, but I didn’t want to make myself cry while writing this article. You get the point.
Medical racism is killing Black people.
It’s all on health professionals mainly, but we need to make sure we’re doing everything in our power to protect ourselves. Let the doctor know you’re serious.
Don’t allow them to treat you like some animal that doesn’t know when you feel pain in your OWN body.
It’s your body — and it’s really freaking valuable.
End medical racism now.
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