A Ten-Year-Old’s $5 Lesson: Fatherhood, Health, and Unapologetic Living
Father's Day Reflections
A Quiet Gesture
A few months ago, while I was hurrying out the door to get to a Boys & Girls Club fundraiser, my middle child—Marlow, —called after me:
“Dad, wait!”
He ran upstairs, cracked open his piggy-bank, and handed me five crumpled dollars.
“I want to help the other kids,” he said.
That small, decisive act landed harder than any keynote I could give. It reminded me that long evenings in the ICU, early-morning recording sessions, and everything in between only matter if the message reaches home first.
What My Father Taught Me
My own dad and I had a complicated relationship, but one lesson stuck: be unapologetically yourself. He never explained it in words; he modeled it. Lean into your strengths, speak plainly, carry your convictions even when they ruffle feathers.
I’ve tried to keep that lesson alive—on the ward, behind the microphone, and at the dinner table. Marlow’s five-dollar gift showed me the idea is taking root in the next generation: authenticity paired with service.
Health, Impact, and the Space Between
Day to day I straddle two worlds. One is the high-acuity reality of critical care, where delayed diagnoses and lifestyle-driven disease show up in real time. The other is the slower, quieter work of prevention—helping people stay away from my ICU bedside in the first place.
Bridging those worlds takes honesty:
The healthcare system is strained far beyond process tweaks.
Innovation—whether it’s AI triage tools or community gym vouchers—won’t help unless it reaches real patients.
Metrics have to shift from meetings held to lives improved.
None of that requires smooth marketing lines; it requires showing up, speaking up, and collaborating across silos.
Legacy in Small Moments
I used to worry that the hours spent writing or recording were time stolen from my kids. Marlow’s gesture reframed that fear. He’d absorbed the bigger point:
Your effort can (and should) lift someone else.
You don’t have to wait until you’re “ready” or “qualified.” Five dollars is enough to start.
Values stick when they’re lived more than lectured.
If that’s the only inheritance my children take from me, it will be enough.
Looking Ahead
I’m still committed to systemic change—pushing for impact metrics, building spaces where clinicians and innovators can actually meet—but I’ll keep Marlow’s five-dollar reminder close:
The loudest statement isn’t always a speech; sometimes it’s quiet generosity.
Thanks for reading, reflecting, and doing the everyday work that rarely makes headlines but always makes a difference.
Peace.
For those who want to explore these ideas further, my books—Prevention Over Prescription and Unapologetic Leadership—dig deeper into the themes of health, authenticity, and impact. Feel free to browse at your own pace.
This was a beautiful read Dr. Kwadwo! So beautiful to see your son donating that 5$. Preventative healthcare is super important! One things I’ve always wondered is how doctors or medical practitioners can tell patients the truth without almost breaking down and crying or feeling terrible for the patient if it’s a bad diagnosis. Taking the emotions out of the medical field I think is the hardest job in the world. How do you do it?💪❤️💪❤️