Touched by a Legend

When Micah was diagnosed with Down syndrome we were given the name and phone number of the Down Syndrome Center in Pittsburgh. This was about the only bit of information that our pediatric office had given us. Desperate to do anything that we could to learn more, to help our son, to try and right the world that was just pulled out from under our feet, we called and set up an appointment.

When we arrived at Children's Hospital for the appointment, we were told to meet the coordinator at the cafeteria. Not sure what to expect, Sam and I got something small to nibble on while waiting for someone to join us. That someone was Sheila Cannon, the competent coordinator of the Downs Clinic. She sat down at our table, told us how blessed we were to have such a dear and wonderful baby boy, and answered any questions that we had. We've since learned that Sheila is one of the busiest people we've ever met and to get time alone with her is rare indeed, but that day we were top priority on her schedule. Making new parents to the world of Down syndrome feel welcome is her goal in life. She does it well.

She led us to the Downs clinic where we met Dr. Cohen. He was so very thrilled to meet Micah. I got the impression that each patient was special to him, and he took personal interest in every single one of them. Dr. Cohen took two hours to examine Micah from head to toe, answer more questions, reassure us that the world would be alright again, give us some ideas of what to expect in the future, and start us down the road to Micah's adenoidectomy because of his deep concern for his patients health. To say that we were impressed is an understatement. There is no way he could schedule more than a handful of patients per day with that kind of thoroughness. And we appreciated it.

We learned over the years that we would need to schedule Micah's annual visit months in advance because of his caring and thorough ways. With each appointment that we had, I was reminded once again of what a doctor could be. Dr. Cohen truly cared for his patients, and listened to the concerns of parents. He took notes, he referenced them, and he asked questions to get to know more about his patients. He cared about potty training issues, he kept an eye out for autistic tendencies, he always had phone numbers handy to share with parents if they needed more therapy or a specialist for their child.

Sometime after we were at the Downs Clinic, I came to find out that Dr. Cohen was a leading expert in the Down syndrome field. He was co-founder of the Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group, he co-authored the book Down Syndrome: Visions for the 21st Century, he was a member of the clinical advisory board for the National Down Syndrome Society, he won numerous awards such as the Award for Outstanding Clinical Care, he was named one of Pittsburgh's top doctors by Pittsburgh magazine, he was internationally recognized for his expertise in the care of children and adults with Down Syndrome. And yet, he was Micah's doctor. He was never out of touch with his patients.

Dr. Cohen died of a heart attack Friday, February 6, 2009. His loss will be felt by so many. I'm both glad that Micah is too young to miss him, and sad that he won't remember him personally. But I will. I'll always be grateful that our lives were touched by Dr. Cohen.

The Downs world has lost a hero.



http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/obituaries/?mode=view&obit_id=167043