Dr. Kenneth Hughes had another patient who came to the office for some revision cosmetic surgery and she was pleased with the results, but she still felt like she needed another surgery to improve her contours. Although Dr. Hughes felt confident that he could improve the condition further, she mentioned that she was not working at the time and had a brain tumor. Dr. Hughes wondered why she was not focused on the brain tumor and dealing with those issues. However, she did enlighten Dr. Hughes and provided some insight into how difficult some of these body issues can be for the mind and the spirit. These cosmetic issues that society may consider not as significant are in reality highly significant for people in all phases of their life, even those confronting life and death experiences. Dr. Kenneth Hughes never looks at these plastic and reconstructive surgeries as something insignificant or less impactful than other surgeries. There is no doubt that cosmetic surgeries change people’s lives and can give them a new lease on life in many instances. For this particular patient, Dr. Hughes told her that he would be willing to do the surgery for her, but that she had to get clearance obviously from the person taking care of her brain tumor. The neurosurgeon looking after her brain tumor gave his clearance, stating she was in a stable condition and there wasn’t much being done for her at the current time. As a result, Dr. Kenneth Hughes proceeded with the surgery and she was happy with the additional improvement. Dr. Kenneth Hughes waived the surgical fees given her situation and special circumstances. She has followed up for several years writing emails about how she’s getting better and able to move on with her life. She is always expressing regret that she hasn’t paid, but he told her that it was much more important for her to focus on just getting better. Oddly enough, Dr. Hughes did see the patient about a year ago at the office and she wanted to do another procedure. She was apparently in a much better frame of mind, she was healthy, and she wanted to pay off her debts that Dr. Hughes had previously dismissed. After all of the years she still felt that responsibility to pay off a debt. A patient like this reminds Dr. Hughes that there are good people out there who do have a moral compass and will return a favor years later even without any obligation to do so. It’s also a nice to be reminded of the type of impact plastic surgeons can have on people’s lives, their outlook, and their future.