This isn't his real name, of course. It would be possible to find him, I suppose, but for the appearance of propriety, I thought it best to keep him as incognito as possible.

     A few weeks ago, I wrote about my terrifying experience with a sudden, severe eye condition. That was when I met Dr. Goodman. He was called in to consult on my case and was the one to correctly diagnose severe corneal degradation. He prescribed medication and a course of eye care to help my eyes heal.

     But that wasn't all. He took me on as a regular patient, scheduling followup care, of course. But the course of treatment included no contact lens use. I told Dr. Goodman I did not have a pair of glasses, and without any correction I'm totally unable to function.

     Dr. Goodman told me I should always have a pair of glasses as a backup in case of eye infections. I was quite upset by now, and confessed that I did not have the money for glasses. Glasses in my admittedly extreme prescription have to be specially designed with ultra-thin glass, and the cost is fairly staggering.

     So Dr. Goodman walked over the optical shop and had a little chat with them, and before you know it I'm ordering glasses at about a third the usual rate, with a payment plan cobbled together even though officially the clinic didn't do payment plans for glasses.

     I was surprised by this act of kindness, and found out a little bit more about Dr. Goodman. It seems he's an opthalmalogist with a worldwide reputation, a pioneer in experimental procedures and an expert on the cornea. 
 
     Last week someone shot Dr. Goodman.

     It seems a disturbed patient came into the clinic and shot Dr. Goodman, who had agreed to see the man without an appointment. The patient had had allegedly botched surgery elsewhere and Dr. Goodman was trying to fix the problems the man was having. The shooter was picked up within a few hours and, according to news reports, confessed to the shooting of Dr. Goodman and a nurse.

     I was stunned. As a reporter, I'm always coming on the scene of a crime after it's taken place, and I hear and write stories about sudden, violent acts all the time. But this was the first time a violent act was committed in a place I had been.

     In fact, less than a week before the shooting, I had returned to the clinic for a followup visit with Dr. Goodman. It was the first time I had actually seen him - at my emergency evaluation, I had been unable to see.

     No good deed goes unpunished. In this world of managed care and cost-efficient medical plans, of copays and deductibles and gag rules, even a Dr. Goodman can get shot.

     It seems both Dr. Goodman and the nurse will recover from their injuries. He won't be back anytime soon, I assume. 

     I hope he returns to the clinic, though. People like him are hard to find. Get well soon, Doctor.