Dear Dr. Burton,
I am writing to thank you for all you have done for my daughter Rebecca. When we came into your office on December 18, 1997, I really didn’t have much hope that anything could be done to help my daughter. After all, as a daughter of a medical doctor I felt if a physician couldn’t fix it, it couldn’t be fixed. That week in December my daughter was once again sick. She had been on maintenance antibiotics and a variety of other drugs. She had a headache so blinding that she could not hold her head up. This had gone on for 4 days. That week she had already been to her pediatrician, the ENT specialist and an infectious disease doctor who checked her immune system. The symptoms were real, and no one knew what to do. After 4 days of running from doctor to doctor with a 14 year old who was too sick to hold up her head I was told about you. We talked that night and made an appointment for the next day. That day was a turning point for my daughter. We walked into your office and three hours later when we walked out, Rebecca felt all better. That night she went to a friends house to get her notes for the week, studied for her weekly test and went to school the next day to take it. It was the amazing experience I have ever seen. I know it sounds corny, but if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it.
Let me backtrack just a bit. My daughter, who is now 14, has suffered from major allergy problems since she was 3 years old. These allergy problems always lead to secondary infections such as tonsillitis, ear infections and in the last 3 years, sinusitis. She has never been off antibiotics longer than 3 weeks at a time most of her life. Our life consisted mostly of allergy shots and trips to the doctor and of course antibiotics, decongestants, and nasal sprays of every type. The only problem was that as soon as she was off the antibiotics within a week to two her school work, and our daily lives. Friends, teachers and business associates, constant comment to me was, “she’s sick again?” It was almost embarrassing.
Then, Dr. Burton, we were told about you, and your approach to the total person through all the techniques that you use. When I say you have changed out lives, I sincerely mean it. Rebecca’s only visits to a doctor since December have been to you. She feels better than she ever has. She hasn’t missed any school. She even got a cold a few weeks ago and remained just that, a cold. She hasn’t taken any medications including her allergy shots since December. What astonished me most was that, a cold. She hasn’t taken any medications including her allergy shots since December. What astonished me most was when she breathed through her nose rather than her mouth for the first time in I don’t know how many years. It was long enough that she does not even remember ever breathing through her nose before that day just a few short weeks ago.
I know we still have more work to do, and Rebecca will probably always need some monitoring, but with you as her Doctor I firmly believe all the hopelessness I felt three months ago, no longer exists.
Thank you for all your care, understanding and patience. You not only are a wonderful doctor, you are a wonderful person.
Sincerely yours,
L.R.