Image by  Jackson David  from  Pixabay I met her only once a few years ago, but our short time together left a significant impression on me. She was an older woman who had recently established medical care after going without for years. Her new doctor had discovered that she had liver disease and referred her to me. Unfortunately he had also discovered that she had diabetes, rather advanced kidney disease, and metastatic breast cancer - all of which were more concerning than her liver disease. As I prepared to see her, I read through her chart and silently groaned. Her liver disease was the least of her problems, and I had little to offer that would make a difference. To make matters worse, she had traveled over an hour to see me. Evaluating her situation I saw only a woman who had recently received more than her share of bad news and who had now traveled out of town for a visit that was essentially a waste of her time. When I entered the room, however, I was instantly struck by her wa