Dismissed: The Emotional Loss of a Pediatrician

By Angie Gilchrist

The events in this story are all true, but the names of the people have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.

Allison Beauregard, a Tennessee Valley mother of two boys, believed she had a good connection with her sons’ pediatrician, Dr. Katrina Flora.

Allison, who has a family history of severe allergic reactions and adverse reactions to medications, was concerned about vaccinating her son Chad because he resembled her father- who had ulcerative colitis – in so many ways. Allison read that people with histories of autoimmune illnesses should discuss with their doctor the possibility of a delayed vaccination schedule.

Allison and Dr. Flora worked together to determine a delayed vaccination schedule that would work for her younger son, Chad. He would receive no more than four vaccines at a time and would come in for these at his two-, three-, four-, five- and six-month visits. This schedule would allow Allison and Dr. Flora to more easily determine what – if Chad had a reaction – caused the reaction. This was also the same schedule that Allison and Dr. Flora worked up for Allison’s older son Harry, who was current on his vaccinations.

Allison’s relationship with Dr. Flora deepened, especially after her grandmother passed away while she was pregnant with Chad. Dr. Flora made time immediately to see Allison and her son Harry and offer some advice on grief in children.

Between Chad’s two- and four-month visits there were many events going on in the Beauregard household: Chad was diagnosed with Torticollis; Harry was to undergo surgery for hydrocele repair, and Allison returned to work. Consequently, she completely forgot about Chad’s three-month vaccinations. Allison had contacted the doctor’s office on multiple occasions at this time and the nurses never mentioned the missed shots.

At the four-month visit, the nurse and Dr. Flora reminded Allison that Chad had missed his three-month round of vaccinations. Allison apologized for forgetting the vaccinations and said Chad would come in the following week to make up the shots.

A few days after the appointment, the Beauregard family received a letter in the mail from Dr. Flora’s office: their sons no longer had a pediatrician. The letter stated “failure to comply with the recommended vaccinations not only places your child at risk for serious illness, but places our other patients at risk.”

The letter blindsided Allison and her family. Allison saw Dr. Flora just the week before and Dr. Flora gave no indication that anything was amiss, but rather that everything was great. She wondered if this letter was a mistake, but it wasn’t.

Allison trusted Dr. Flora with the care of her children and her personal information. For Dr. Flora to drop her sons for missing a round of vaccinations hurt her. Dr. Flora didn’t even give Allison the benefit of the doubt that she made an honest mistake when she missed that round of shots. She led Allison to believe everything was all right and that they would just see each other the next month for the following round of vaccines.

Time has passed and Allison now sees that being dismissed was a blessing for her and her sons. Everything worked out in the end: Allison and her family now have a pediatrician who seems to genuinely listen to their concerns and is there to protect her sons’ health, not put it at risk.