Dear Dr. Sweeney

Dear Dr. Sweeney,

I don’t even know where to begin or if I can adequately express my thoughts in an understandable manner. It doesn’t seem real, that you could be gone. I feel like I hardly knew you, while at the same time I feel like I knew you so very well. While you saw me as your patient for both of my pregnancies, with my first all scares that deemed me ” high risk” were cleared up early on and you released my from your care after my 19 week anatomy scan. I still remember you saying ” Do you guys want to know what it is” …. we laughed since we already knew, and my husband replied… ” Oh, it’s a girl” to which you laughed and said ” I sure hope you didn’t paint the walls pink yet”… and then you laughed again to let us know you were only joking.

With my second daughter though, we got to know each other much better….. I knew I would be seeing you after 2 years of infertility and a pregnancy loss they told me you would be keeping an eye on me for the first trimester, I had no idea that was only the beginning. We had waited so long for this baby and you were so reassuring. You looked me in the eye before our genetic testing and told me… ” The hard part is already done, you’re pregnant… not lets just get a little blood and we will call you with some results”.

I used to joke around about matters not related to pregnancy at all when anxiety would run high and would say ” It’s like we need Dr. Sweeney to hold our hand and tells us it’s going to be ok then it would be easier to calm down”. Nearly all of my friends had seen you during their pregnancies and everyone would remark on what a wonderful man you were. In fact, I know many of those gals are reading this now and recalling all the times you helped them breathe a little deeper, and actually sleep at night, I know you did for me.

Your name would come up in at least half of all of the Newborn sessions I shot, you treated all those mamas and monitored all those babies as well, and never a negative word was spoken. You touched us Dr. Sweeney, you were the person who calmed our fears, you told us exactly how it was without any fluff even when it was scary and yet, still, we felt better hearing it the way you spoke it.

My last pregnancy that you oversaw my care, was my last baby… I didn’t have a reason to return to see you again except for the appointment that I stopped by just to say hello, to you, and to all the staff and drop of a gift to thank everyone for the incredible care that was provided while I was pregnant with her. Once I was diagnosed with low fetal movement at 25 weeks I saw you much more often, not always you.. sometimes I saw other providers, or just the incredible nurses at Annapolis Office of Maternal and Fetal Medicine. Knowing that I had you in my corner made it so much easier. When you would stop in my room in triage, or you came in just to check the ultra sound for yourself.. I remember you holding my arm as I cried about how scared I was of loosing her and you said… ” Look, we know something isn’t quite right but that is why we are monitoring, the minute I think that baby will be safer out here we will take her out”. Another time you peeked your head in the room as they were scanning and checking fluid levels and you said ” You are getting yourself very worked up, I’m not worried, when I am worried then you should worry”.

The moment I remember the most and when you walked me through just how quickly you could get her out if needed, how you had a plan to save her if it came to that, and that you would be there with me if I needed you….. I don’t think you realize just what that meant to me. Now, that you are gone… I regret not walking back into your office later after delivery and telling you just how important your care was to me. It wasn’t just the care that you provided but also the comfort, the encouragement, and the kindness. I knew you were busy, I knew you had a waiting room full of patients, but you never made me feel like ” Just a patient” you also had time to listen, time to comfort, and time to care…… for that I am forever thankful. I am grateful for your medical wisdom, that you and Dr. Buckson decided it was time…. that she needed to come out now at 37 weeks. I am grateful that you sat an listened to me that day when I said I knew that something just wasn’t right… you told me that you had scanned and were comfortable with me leaving that day and returning to Dr. Buckson in the morning but that you would be talking to her and you would stay on top of my case… You had to leave early that day, you were celebrating a new grand daughter….. but I knew I was in good hands.

I’m heartbroken that someone who had so much involvement with such an important part of my life is gone now, I am heartbroken that your children have lost their father, and your grand children their grandfather… you were an incredible man who touched so many lives, we will all deeply miss you, we will forever remember you in our hearts and in the lives of our babies whom you saved.

Rest in Peace Dr. Sweeney you will be so missed.