The Ultimate Luxury that is Priceless

A Doctor's Reminder to the 0.1%

I read an interesting article this morning in The Wall Street Journal entitled, The Ultrarich Are Spending a Fortune to Live in Extreme Privacy by Arian Campo-Flores. It got me thinking. No matter how much wealth someone amasses to insulate themselves from ordinary life, when disease strikes, they too must rely on a healthcare system that serves everyone; and that is also in crisis. Yes, they may have private rooms, private nurses, and renowned physicians. But they will still be wheeled through the same corridors, lie beneath the same scanners, submit to the same needles, and entrust their bodies to the steady hands of professionals whose skill is forged by experience and not by a checkbook. Even something as basic as drawing blood is perfected through doing it every day, not through privilege.

They too will shiver in a thin hospital gown, feel the cold sterility of the operating room, and look to an anesthesiologist for relief from pain and fear. Illness strips away status. Disease is the great equalizer.

As a pediatric critical care physician, there were times when I cared for the children of the wealthy, the famous, and the powerful. Yet in every instance, regardless of status, the only thing that truly mattered was the same: that their child be well. I remember one exceptionally wealthy Wall Street investment banker who whispered to me late one night as his child lay in the ICU after major surgery:
“Dr. Zucker, I never realized how meaningless money is until I look at my child in that bed and know that you and your team hold her life in your hands. Please save my daughter.”
We did.

As Confucius said, “A healthy man wants a thousand things; a sick man only wants one.” And Gandhi reminded us, “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

Living in New York City, I understand the appeal of a life without traffic, parking hassles, or long airport lines. But I suspect we would all take those daily irritations any day over illness and disease. Perspective matters.

To the fortunate 0.1%: keep things in focus. Glamour fades quickly — we all hope that our health will not.