Join us for a conversation with our friend and palliative care pediatrician, Dr. Bob Macauley, whose new memoir, Because I Knew You, is a moving, sparkling exploration of the impact his connection and work with children and their families had on him as both a physician and a human being.
As one of the few pediatric palliative care doctors in the United States, Bob Macauley was used to people saying, “I’m so glad I don’t have your job.” To which he would explain that palliative care is more about living than dying, then offer to share some of the inspiring stories he witnessed on a daily basis. Because I Knew You tells the stories of children facing life-threatening illness, from babies diagnosed before birth all the way through adolescence. They and their parents face incredible challenges with immense courage and devotion, inspiring doctors like Bob Macauley and showing them how much they have left to learn. For Bob, though, the work is personal: having survived abuse as a child, he dedicated his life to making sure that no other child hurt the way he did. After growing up in a world where people did things no one ever should, he found a home among people who loved more deeply than he thought anyone ever could.
This event will take place on Thursday, May 8, at 8:00 pm ET (7:00 pm CT, 6:00 pm MT, 5:00 pm PT).
Our Panel
Robert Macauley, M.D., F.A.A.P., F.A.A.H.P.M.
As the director of the OHSU Doernbecher Bridges program, Dr. Macauley specializes in palliative care, which focuses on improving quality of life for kids facing life-limiting illness. He is one of only three hundred pediatricians in the United States board certified in palliative medicine. He values the chance to help children and their families work through some of the most difficult situations anyone can ever face. When life ends far too soon, there are a lot of tears, hand-holding, and silence. And when a child makes it through, there are tears of a different kind. The sweetest words he can ever hear from a family are “We don’t need you anymore.” In his spare time, Dr. Macauley enjoys writing stories with his eldest daughter, doing aikido with his son, cooking with his center (never “middle”) daughter, and reading with his youngest. Throw in music lessons, concerts, plays, a couple of dogs, and a love of travel, and he and his wife got more than they bargained for (except when it comes to sleep).
