Going to Disneyland

A child at the Disneyland Hotel had a fever. Disneyland is forty miles away, but the call arrived Sunday morning. Freeway traffic was light; a perfect time for a long drive.

It was nearly noon when I greeted the parents and three other children. Being stuck in a hotel room with a sick child was not part of their plans, so all looked depressed. The child had a fever and cold symptoms but did not seem ill. I explained that children catch half a dozen viral infections every year; they last from a few days to a week or two; one can treat the symptoms, but there is no cure. Rest does not help.

“You mean we can go to Disneyland?” asked the father.

“Saying in bed doesn’t make it go away quicker.”

The family erupted in cheers and followed me out the door.   

A Hotel Doctor's Thanksgiving

I had finished breakfast at 7 a.m. on Thursday when the phone rang. A Quantas pilot at the Hilton in Anaheim was suffering a respiratory infection. This was a great call in many ways.

That Hilton is forty miles away, but I don’t mind long drives provided traffic moves smoothly. Holiday mornings are a good time, and I could take the Santa Ana freeway which is two miles shorter than my usual route. I avoid the Santa Ana because it’s often jammed and in poor repair except for a tiresome five-mile stretch of construction. But it was fine at 7 a.m. on Thanksgiving.

Leaving the freeway, I drove past Disneyland where sidewalks overflowed with crowds streaming toward the entrance.

Unlike most patients with a respiratory infection, airline crew give priority to getting home, not to getting medicine. They hate being stuck in a hotel room, so I try to accommodate them.   

The drive home was easy. Unlike other clients, the airline agency requires a special form which I must fill out and fax to get paid. Happily, I checked boxes for “distance,” “after hours,” and “sat/sun/holiday,” all of which get me extra money. I have no objection to any of the three and actually prefer the last two because traffic is light. I’m perfect for this job.