THE FIRST ONE - Dr. Sergai Delamora

I first met Sergai over 33 years ago when we both played for the best little league team that North Bellmore has ever seen - the Cobras. Both our dads were assistant coaches. Our team went undefeated and to this day we still get people coming up to us for autographs.

I met Sergai for tea and lunch near his office in Scarsdale. He had just finished examining my dislocated thumb. Sergai is one of the most generous people I have ever met. Anytime someone in my family has had an injury over the years, I've called him for help and advice. Here's a picture of us in his office before the tea.

The good doctor was excited to be the very first person for this blog. We went to a restaurant called 'Chat' to commence the experience. It was freezing cold outside. This picture is from their website.

'Chat' had a limited selection for tea. Sergai chose Celestial Green. He said that his all-time favorite is mint tea or peppermint. But green tea was his second favorite and therefore quite suitable.

I chose Celestial Chamomile. I do not know what my favorite tea is yet. But I like chamomile. I think?

I noticed that Sergai drank his tea quite briskly. He wound up using his tea bag several times with new rounds of hot water. This was fascinating to me. I had no idea you could do that with your tea bag.

We drank our tea throughout lunch. This was also new to me. I always assumed that tea was served afterwards. Not so. Tea can be enjoyed at any point in the meal.

I asked Sergai three random questions for this blog. This will be a recurring feature. The questions will be different for each person. Or they might not. We'll find out as we go.

QUESTION ONE:

What's something that most people would be surprised to learn about you?

SERGAI:

Probably that I cry more than most men. I could easily cry at an emotional TV commerical.

QUESTION TWO:

What's the most uncomfortable you've ever been in a professional setting since you've become a doctor?

SERGAI:

Two or three times a year, I have to tell patients that they have cancer. And I'll never forget the first time it happened. I was right out of my fellowship and I saw this beautiful six year old girl who hurt herself ice skating. She came to see me and right away without even the x-ray, I knew something was wrong. I thought it was cancer and sure enough it was a very ugly, very aggressive type of cancer called osteosarcoma. So I had to tell the mom right then and there..."I think your beautiful daughter has cancer". And that was one of the worst days as a doctor for me...but I learned a lot. One of the most important things I learned is always be honest. When I think something's bad, I could be wrong, but it's always better to be honest and tell the patient. The nice thing is that was almost 12 years ago and I still see this girl now.

QUESTION THREE:

Who is someone we both know that you would like to experience their life for a day and why?

SERGAI:

I would like to experience Jen's life for a day in which she is performing. I have always loved performing on stage but I have not done so since 7th grade. After I win powerball, I would continue to work as an orthopedic surgeon part-time, but I would love to also perform on Broadway.

*my note - I hope Sergai understands that my wife and I have a rule for no hanky-panky on days that she's singing. Not sure if this changes Sergai's answer.

After tea and lunch we walked out into the cold wind. We hustled back to our cars and agreed to have tea again when I come back after six weeks for my thumb injury. (actually this part of our conversation is fictional. We didn't agree to have tea again. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed.)

Thanks to Sergai for helping me take the first step into this new and exciting mid-life journey.

#Sergai #Chat #green #chamomile #Celestial