04/25/2026
Dear Butler & Our Community,
A thank you letter from Dr. Henderson:
There's been a huge outpouring of support and gratitude for a young community member and for our office and I want to address this to everyone. First and foremost, I am profoundly grateful for the outcome and support and watching this community rally for its people. Secondly, I am humbled and touched beyond belief at the thanks, visits, flowers, donuts, and candies that have appeared at this office. Because of HIPPA and confidentiality, those of us in the medical profession aren't allowed to discuss what we do, diagnosis, and outcomes. When we want to shout to the roof "this person is alive because of what happened today" or "I caught this scary diagnosis and prevented a bad out come" we can't- I cannot share the joys, the sorrows, the cruelties, or the sadness. All we can do is share among the working staff involved then go home and make dinner and do the laundry. I say this because - so many amazing, beautiful, incredible things happen inside the walls of this urgent care - I know so many cases where someone is better, alive, or safe because they walked through this door. I just can't tell you. Those aren't my stories to tell. I hold the sacred space for people to heal and be inside of. It is my honor and privilege to hold a confidential spot for whatever is needed.
Never in my now 30 year career in medicine have I taken credit for saving a life - because I don't want to take credit for losing one. I can tell you though, I celebrate with exuberant joy, the lives that expand and grow, heal & thrive, and that may not have made it as long without intervention. My draining cup of my soul is refilled when life wins. Never in my career have I been publicly thanked until now. It's a new experience for me.
This is my job - this is the job of all your doctors, providers, and medical staff. This is what we're supposed to do. I cannot cure the common cold. I can't magic away viruses and symptoms. But I hope you are aware when you come in my office, even if I can't do anything to make you magically better, I've screened for and evaluated for anything that might harm or kill you. My job is to recognize, correct, and intervene in true emergency and urgent situations. I was an EMT at 18, a paramedic by 20, and then a physician. I have 7 degrees in medicine including allopathic and alternative medicine: paramedicine, Chinese medicine, undersea and hyperbaric medicine, biological medical science, nutrition, and my MD. I have practiced medicine at all levels my entire career. What you witness me (and probably every other physician) do in front of you in minutes I have been re-learning and re-practicing over and over through decades in order to be fast, efficient, and accurate.
Most of the work I do for you isn't in front of you. It's at my desk, it's ordering and review labs, and it's thinking about my patients. I sit in front of patients 4 days a week. But my practice of medicine never, ever stops. I have a rolodex in my brain of nearly 6000 patients and there are times I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about what I need to do for someone and work from home. I do about 500 hours of continuing education a year to stay current and reach above and beyond. This is what I'm expected to do: these are the requirements of my job.
I am also here to listen, to confide in, to provide empathy, compassion, knowledge, education, and options. I am here to provide you a space to heal. I expect to be able to meet all those targets every day of my job.
So for me to be so publicly thanked is overwhelming, humbling, and extraordinarily kind.
I'm not perfect at my job. I try and treat everyone equally in this office. No cuts in line, no back door secret visits, no "friends first". I mean, if you're dying- head of the line. I want everyone to feel valid, comfortable, and that everyone is treated equally because all life is sacred. Casual dress, casual conversation, and human to human medicine is how I practice. I want everyone to feel equal and not that "the doctor is above them." I can take better care of you this way. The world is hard. Seeing your doctor shouldn't be.
I gave my entire life- years of school, countless missed social events (even now since I work every Friday and Saturday), missed weddings, funerals, concerts and parties... to be what I hope is a solid, above average physician. I may make a mistake. I may not be on my "A game" every day. By the end of the day I start to look like a cross between a Yeti and Einstein. But I want you to know that I absolutely dedicated my life to this profession and when I'm the doctor on the clock - I'm doing it 100% to the best of my ability because your life and your body and your fears and your outcome matters.
There's a lot of dark and a lot of hard and a lot of sacrifice to this job. So when there is a Ray of Warrior Princess Sunshine and a really excellent moment... I am so glad that it is shared between so many people.
Thank you for the community. For trusting me. For supporting the big battles people go through.
I am touched beyond words, in ways that fill the emptied parts of my heart and soul.
Always,
Dr. Lindsay B. Henderson
