This is a true story

Yesterday I was at my favorite grocery store in Atlanta, buying lots of delicious groceries (Florida corn is 39 cents an ear right now!) doing my thing, enjoying a nice afternoon to myself. So I get to the checkout line, and while I’m being rung up, the cashier asks me if I could help her with some information. Her English isn’t great, so I grab my license and I’m assuming she’s carding me (I bought more than just the corn). She laughs and explains that actually, she’s having a problem. She’s been having a problem with her eye for the last 2 months and she’s not sure where to go. I ask dose she have health insurance? She does not. She also doesn’t live in a county served by Grady. Hmm.

Well this would be the end of the conversation, except she randomly happened to select, out of all the patrons of this very large retail establishment, a first year Emory medical student. Do I know where she can go for free or low cost medical care? Yes, of course I do. I happen to volunteer in one of our (that’s right, we have several) student-run free clinics a few times a month. This is my thing, this is what I do. How did she select me? No particular reason. Just the universe working in mysterious ways.

So we exchanged phone numbers, and I got in touch with the clinic directors, and now hopefully I’ll be seeing my new friend soon in the clinic.

How cool is that?