Success should transcend life

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Written by
4 years ago

Many people equate success with having:

  • money

  • influence

  • a comfortable life

Admittedly, those are all nice things to have, but I discovered a story about an American man who made a lasting impact on countless people who he touched in his life. His story is inspirational, and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to share it with you.


Dr. James “Charlie” Mahoney worked in the intensive care unit at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York for nearly four decades. His lengthy career saw him care for patients through the HIV/AIDS epidemic, through 9/11, through the swine flu and he felt like it was finally time to take it easy. In fact, he was planning his retirement during a trip he took with his family in January, but decided to postpone it when COVID-19 hit New York. He refused to abandon his community in their time of need. Sadly, he never got the chance to retire because he contracted the virus while treating patients in mid-April. Dr. Mahoney passed away on April 27, 2020 at age 62.

Here are 3 things that you should know about him.

Strong work ethic 

It's incredible for me to find out that Dr. Mahoney not only worked his regular shift, but also worked night shifts at Kings County Hospital Center, across the street from SUNY. Sometimes he even slept there according to his brother, Melvin, who is a doctor himself.

His friend, colleague and his boss, Dr. Robert Foronjy described the last few months of his life with vivid detail.

He was attending the ICU when the first wave hit us, and he worked tirelessly. He would work day. He would work night. I know he was exhausted, but I know he took great pride in what he was doing and felt a tremendous sense of satisfaction out of helping the community at such a time of need, - Dr. Robert Foronjy

 

Incredible dedication to his community

He knew about the increased risk of him contracting the virus resulting from his advanced age, but he was undeterred. SUNY Downstate, a largely underfunded state-run hospital, serves low-income, minority neighborhoods in Brooklyn. There are over 40,000 COVID-19 cases in Brooklyn as of May, and the virus hit black and Latino communities the hardest.

Dr. Mahoney was passionate about serving his community.  He declined many better-paying opportunities to work in private hospitals according to his sister, Saundra Chisholm. 

He got his satisfaction in life in helping people, out of serving others, out of making someone's load a little lighter, - Dr. Robert Foronjy

 

The legacy he leaves behind

Mahoney was known for mentoring young doctors, giving his personal cellphone number to his patients, and befriending everyone in the hospital, from his boss to the janitors and gift shop cashiers. 

He was a hero, who made an enormous impact in his community. Even in death, his work continues to have an impact on medicine because of the years he spent training and mentoring up-and-coming doctors according to Dr. Foronjy.

There are two hospitals crying. Nonstop...I’ve heard men crying like you wouldn’t believe. That’s how much they loved my brother, - Dr. Melvin Mahoney

Undated photograph by SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. Dr. Robert Foronjy, front left, next to Dr. Mahoney

Money and influence alone would not lead to the legacy that Dr. James Mahoney achieved by spending his entire adult life helping others. His legacy is indicative of the success he achieved. I hope his blessed story inspires others to act selflessly like him to achieve their own success.

This also is an opportunity for all of us to take a step back, and to reflect on our own lives. How would you like to be remembered by future generations? I think it was best said in a song that came to mind.

There's people on the street
Ain't got enough to eat
You just shake your head
The measure of a man is one who lends a hand
That's what my father said, - Vince Gill (What You Give Away)

This article was inspired by The $1 Dollar Question Giveaway! announced by @Eirolfeam2 . Thank you for your generosity!

https://read.cash/@Eirolfeam2/the-1-dollar-question-giveaway-5e1519d6

Thanks for reading, and stay safe!

Lead photo (cropped) by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Resources

  1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/19/doctor-delayed-retirement-dies/

  2. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/12/brooklyn-hospital-legend-dies-of-covid-19-james-charlie-mahoney

  3. https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/05/21/dr-james-charlie-mahoney-succumbs-to-covid-19-remembered-as-a-beloved-pillar-of-the-university-hospital-of-brooklyn/

  4. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-wednesday-edition-1.5576923/nyc-doctor-who-delayed-retirement-to-help-his-community-during-the-pandemic-dies-of-covid-19-1.5576925

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Avatar for pusher
Written by
4 years ago

Comments

Very touching, heartfelt and inspiring story.

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Thank you for your kind words, and thanks for visiting!

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Hey there @pusher! Rg here your new subscriber. I participated Eirolfeam2's event too. Hope we can be friends in read cash. You see, i am a newbie here.

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Thanks for visiting, and good luck from one newbie to another. I read your article, and it's very well written!

I'm pretty busy these days, so I'm not sure I'll be as active as I would like.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work though!

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Thanks for checking out my article. I'll be hanging around here in read cash for quite a while I guess. Got no job due to covid... so i have ample of time for this domain.

Thanks for your time. ☺️

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Rg bro, read.cash just unpublished my last article. are you able to link to it?

$ 0.00
4 years ago

webpage not available na xa 🥺

$ 0.00
4 years ago

what? why such? wait let me check the link. I have shared it on my fb.

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Thank you for sharing to us about inspiring story of Dr. Mahoney. He lived a good life, and I'm sure he is somewhere safe now. I hope the legacy will be remembered by the people he served and will be passed down to the next generations. He is very inspiring and we should learn to live the way he lived his life.

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Question: Do you need to pay any fees when you send funds from your RC Bitcoin Cash wallet to other authors or to another wallet?

$ 0.00
4 years ago

No. There's no fee in sending upvotes.

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Thanks for letting me know!

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Thanks for your $0.01 upvote! =)

$ 0.00
4 years ago

You're very welcome Eirolfeam2! Thanks for your kind comments. Yes, I'm sure he's in a better place now too. I hope you have a great evening!

$ 0.00
4 years ago

He seemed to be a good Person, sad story.

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Yes it was sad, but also inspiring. I can't imagine being able to touch so many people's lives in a positive way that he did.

btw, I think you would do well on this platform...just take it slow. Are you on Twitter?

Thanks for visiting friend! =)

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Hi, I sent you 3 cents for your article😉- I don't know how I earned them but they were here. no I'm not on twitter. I don't feel very well at the moment so it would take a while for me to publish stuff again, maybe I will write some articles in the future on this site, have to check it out a bit more

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Thanks so much friend! Take it easy...I hope you get better soon.

$ 0.00
4 years ago