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“I had the pleasure of seeing a child in a clinic to establish care. The child appeared severely ill and also had chronic conditions that were confusing to the parents. Based on lab work, it was clear the child’s treatment would include surgery, but the family was refusing. It was clear this had been an ongoing issue.

“While learning about this patient in a whole-person model, I wanted to understand these decisions and discovered there was spiritual guidance from a priest the family members trusted who encouraged them not to remove organs. I encouraged the family to engage the priest during the appointment to ask follow-up questions to better understand all perspectives. Much of the conversation showed well-meaning misunderstanding and advocacy by all parties. The conversation allowed us to find a path forward that everyone could agree with, and ultimately it made a big difference in the child’s treatment plan.”

Dr. Priya Bui, DO, FAAP 

Pediatrics and Women’s Health

HSC Health

What areas of Whole Health are part of this story?

• Self-Care
• Mental Health
• Physical Health
• Environmental Health
• Spiritual Health

To learn more about HSC’s Whole Health Initiative, go to unthsc.edu/wholehealth. If you have an example of how you have implemented one or more whole health areas and want to be featured in the “This is Whole Health” series, please email news@unthsc.edu.

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