Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP James L. Holly, M.D. Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP


Your Life Your Health - We will never forget
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James L. Holly,M.D.
April 02, 2009
Your Life Your Health - The Examiner
The nice thing about electronics is that it is possible to communicate rapidly and repeatedly. Immediately upon Dr. Wilson's death, SETMA's Chief Information Officer created a section on SETMA's intranet where employees could post their memories of Dr. Wilson and could continue remembering this remarkable man, as well as continuing to process their own grief. I would like to share some of those post. Except when the post was by this author, they are unidentified.

Remembering one week after his death (Dr. Holly)

It was one week ago this hour (March 23, 2009, 6:20 AM that I was notified that Dr. Wilson had passed away. There have been so many ways this weekend that I have thought of him. It seems unreal that he is gone. I miss him.

Training with Dr. Wilson

Ten years ago, I was a NP student with Norma and Dr. Wilson. I remember learning many things from both: time management, how to read an x-ray, and who FOM's were. One day, Dr. Wilson was late, and being an over zealous student I proceeded in to "start the patient care." Little did I know I was seeing a VIP FOM. I walked out of the exam room and Dr. Wilson was waiting for me, grinning from ear to ear. He turned to his friend and asked, "Did she do okay?" His friend responded that he would be seeing me from now on. Dr. Wilson laughed and told me keep it Up. I am luckier than many of you because my memories don't include his illness. I still picture Dr. Wilson bantering back and forth to Norma and Norma "keeping him straight."

The Seventh Pall Bearer

How many times have I heard the phrase, "Only Mark Wilson?" His uniqueness was on many levels. So why would you expect him to have a "normal" funeral? Bishop Guillory expressed his apology for being late, but I want to tell him, "Don't think anything about it." Have you ever hard of 'Wilson time? If someone else had not been responsible for getting him there on time, Dr. Wilson would have arrived about the time that his funeral was over.

Another unique thing about his funeral was that as I stood at the graveside, I noticed that there seemed to be more pall bears than the six who were in the program. I counted and there were seven. Later, I asked and Bobby James told me that a man had walked in, put on a flower and seated himself with the pallbearers. He helped carry the casket and finally someone said, "No one here knows you. Who are you?" He said, I read about Dr. Wilson in the newspaper and decided to come down and be a pallbearer. Strange situation, but probably you could only see it at Mark's funeral.

Proud of SETMA's Partners (Dr. Holly)

It is not possible for me to complete the processing of grief for the loss of my dear friend and partner, Dr. Mark A. Wilson, without stating loudly and clearly what is obvious to everyone. I am proud of SETMA as stated in my previous note (see below) but the pride that I have in the partners of SETMA knows NO BOUNDS.

It would be expected that I would support Mark and his family to the last drop of my own blood. We started together and we expected to finish together, or as he said in August of 2007, "Larry, I expected to bury you." And, I agreed. It would be unthinkable that either Dr. Wilson, or I would every abandon one another in a crisis; it was just not a possibility.

But what could not be expected nor demanded was the complete, spontaneously, enthusiastic support which ALL of the partners of SETMA extended to Dr. Wilson and his family. Initially, they unreservedly turned over the 25% of a large life-insurance policy which would have come to them. And, they did it without ANY regard for their benefit. Continually, even when things were difficult in the fall of 2007, they continued to support Dr. Wilson with his salary, benefits and even bonuses. Remember it was in the summer of 2007 when eight physicians left SETMA virtually at the same time and on the top of that came the news of our friend's illness. They covered his practice, took his call, did his work, and they did it all with joy.

While it could be argued that was what should have been done in the beginning, as time wore on, it could also have been expected for them to "weary in well doing," but there was NEVER one question raised by any of these men. They intended to support Dr. Wilson and his family for the duration. And, to fill the measure of their support full to overflowing, Dr. Wilson will receive his final paycheck on March 30, 2009.

If anyone is offended by the talk of finances at a time of such great loss, I ask your forgiveness, but it is not possible for me to mourn my friend's death and my loss of him without being filled with gratitude to Drs. Aziiz, Anwar, Colbert, Halbert, Murphy and Leifeste. They are men of honor, of integrity and of character, and they have proved each of those traits by their conduct through this very difficult time.

I stand and I salute them. I say to them, thank you, and thank you. May God bless you and your families forever for your good deeds in your care of Dr. Wilson. Words are inadequate but words are demanded to say to each of you, Muhammad, Imti, Bobbie, Dean, Vince and Alan, I admire you and respect you.

You deserve the best that it is possible for you to receive. I shall never forget what you have done; it shall always stand as the greatest evidence of what SETMA is all about. Mark and I are the founding partners of SEMTA, but in the last 19 months each of you have joined the foundation of SETMA. You shall now and forever in the future be founders of this great and prospering organization. Dr. Wilson expressed his pride in you often and he would embrace what I have said.

Proud of SETMA (Dr. Holly)

No one will ever know how proud I was of all of SETMA yesterday. I know that Dr. Wilson would have been delighted if he had seen you all there. I arrived at 9:30 only to find thirty or more of you already in your seats. How precious you looked; I felt like a proud father watching his children. I wanted to stand up and point you out to the congregation. Thank you all for "being there."

When I was fifteen, one of my closest friend's father died suddenly of a heart attack. That night, I asked my father to take me to my friend's home. I expected many of our friends to be there but there was only me and then the across the street neighbor came over. During our visit, I said one of the dumbest things I could ever have said. In response to a funny thing, I said, "If my father had done that I would kill him." I wanted the floor to swallow me up. The next day, I approached the family car in the funeral procession and said to Louis "I didn't know what to say." In his youthful wisdom, he said, "Larry, you didn't have to say anything; you were there."

I have never forgotten that lesson. Thank you ALL for being there. Several who very much wanted to be there were unable to be. You presence was noted evening your absence.

It was a beautiful service. The homily by Father Gahan and the remembrances by Bishop Guillory spoke truth and hope in the midst of our sadness. I am grateful to both of them. Didn't you love the choir from All Saints? I did.

In the past, SETMA has been greatly strengthened by the departure of those who did not share our vision or our passion. Dr. Wilson did both. We will be stronger with his passing, not because of his leaving, but because of his having been here and because of the legacy he left. We shall never, every forget him.

God bless you all. You are dearer today than you were yesterday because each one of you will forever remind me of Dr. Wilson and that is a good thing.

Adams and Jefferson (Dr. Holly and two others)

I received the following note yesterday. So that I don't get attacked, I will not share its source but I do want to commit upon it; it states:
"Have you seen the HBO version of John Adams-the last disc centers on Adam's and Jefferson's relationship late in life and Adams writes to Jefferson something to the effect-'Do you think anyone would really understand how our revolution came about?' There could have not been two more unlikely partners but the revolution is alive and rolling. That is the way I think of you and Mark's relationship--no one but you two understand the sacrifice and the effort it took to undertake our "revolution" in health care. They really 'don't have a clue' (maybe Carolyn and Lanell do)."
Mark and I were not Adams and Jefferson, but we were the most "unlikely partners." Yet, it was our being joined by incredible people that resulted in SETMA. You all received the following note this morning. It could not be better timed. Dana said:
"I do remember several years back when the SETMA work environment and the attitudes were strained. That has proven to only be growing pains we experienced in response to change that ended up a blessing. I have never outside of immediate family felt such a huge bond. We are truly a family here that I know will always be here. I am proud to be SETMA and my loyalty and love is just as strong as it is to my blood family. I too am so proud of our SETMA yesterday there was no division on race, religion, or social status, there was just love."
I continue to be amazed at SETMA - it is truly amazing grace which has made us what we are. I think we have our best days ahead of us. It will always be a sadness that Mark will not have seen those days, but it will be what he would have wanted.

The Future

It is but a mirror image of the past for it is a product of the same. As we move forward, building upon that past, we will never forget. In order to make sure of that, the partners of SETMA have determined to rename SETMA West, The Mark A. Wilson SETMA West Clinic. The sign is being prepared. Every day, we will be reminded of our friend and associate. Every day his family can know that they are not the only ones who will never forget.
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