KNOCKED DOWN: In The Bahamas we have a special breed of dogs known as Potcakes. Colloquially named after the overcooked (burnt) rice at the bottom of a pot that nobody wants, these dogs are incredibly resilient.

OBESITY 3: Every human being has at least one physical characteristic that they’d like to change or, in the very least, enhance.

KIDNEY FAILURE: I have flat feet. My mom has flat feet, my dad, my siblings, my cousins. We’re just a happy flat-footed Cartwright family.

OBESITY 2: Some of the most beloved children’s novels lie within the portal fantasy genre. The Wizard of Oz, Alice in wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter are just a few standout examples.

OBESITY 1: One of my favorite subjects in high school was English literature. I easily excelled in all sciences but literature, while I found it fascinating, was initially a struggle.

MISCARRIAGE: Now in her late 30s, this week’s patient is more than any other I have ever treated, filled to capacity with the gentle compassion of a mother.

CAR ACCIDENT: A grilled chicken and bacon sandwich with spinach, spicy mayo and avocado. It did little to show his creativity but for the 26-year-old chef featured in today’s article, preparing that meal was a welcomed relief.

GUNSHOTS: In 2016, around four-o’clock in the morning, and at 78 years of age, my patient was shot five times.

STROKE: Not all fairy tales end in happily ever after and few marriages endure without challenges.

SUICIDE: I believe the emotionally closed to be the ones that suffer the most and many times they tragically do so in silence.

COVID-19: There are some days when getting out of bed comes with great ease and other times when it is a hard-fought mountainous struggle.

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: I’m often asked by friends, patients and family members alike what I consider the most frightening; the most difficult or the most agonizing of all medical conditions that I’ve seen throughout my career.

CERVICAL CANCER: There is a line in the famous play Les Misérables wherein one of the characters affirms that there is often a grief that can’t be spoken and the pain goes on and on.

THE FIRST STEP: For nearly a decade, The Bahamas has been soberingly ranked as the sixth most obese country in the entire world.