Wednesday, December 27, 2023
TRIBUTE TO LUIS FIGUEROA
BY DR KENNETH MILLS-ROBERTSON, 12/29/23
Luis was my brother and friend, my wingman at work. He worked in Wilmington Veterans Administration Hospital Gastroenterology (GI) Department for 22 years. So, did I.
On Day 1 at work, we became friends, drawn to each other as if by fate, a spiritual connection which allowed us to support each other for 22 years, working together in one place until we were torn apart by illness a year ago.
Luis was an excellent medical technician and relentlessly supportive of our work. He was meticulous and no GI bleeding was ever too tough to subdue, and no colon polyp ever escaped his watchful eye. Our motto was “No man ever has to die with a colon full of polyps”.
He had a great sense of humor too, brightening each of our days as a team in the GI lab. We laughed at each other’s many jokes. Earlier in our work we shared a joke about Boston Baked Beans which is also a riddle: I asked, “Why is it that each can of Boston Baked Beans, big or small, has exactly 239 beans?” Luis solved this hilarious riddle. He said with a smile: “one more bean and it would be too farty...” He then, naughtily, persuaded me to use the riddle as a right-of-passage when welcoming new staff into our GI lab, which we did.
In the midst of our camaraderie, he asked me never to retire, that even when I got to 90 years old, he would be there to hold the scope with me… Interestingly, Luis will never grow old from now on as we the living relentlessly go over the hill. Luis will never have wrinkles. His handsome face will remain as is...
My family also got to know him well. All of them talked about him fondly. At their birthdays, he and the members of the GI choir, which we christened “Royal Fecolith Quartet”, would serenade them over the phone with “Happy birthday in G major” wherever they were and that was very special.
That was my Luis, my brother and my Amigo.
Adios Amigo. Travel safely till we meet again on that beautiful shore.
Amen
