Just a chat with Doctor Charming was enough to make you feel better
ThirTy years ago i arrived on the isle of Man as a young nurse to start a new life in a place where i knew pretty much no one.
One of the first things i did was to register at the local GPs’ surgery, only to be told by a dragon of a receptionist that they weren’t taking on any more patients.
Crestfallen, i was on my way out when i heard someone behind me exclaim: ‘Of course we can take you on!’
his name was Dr David Chalmers, and although i didn’t know it then, he would be my GP — and that of my family — for three decades, an endlessly reassuring presence who helped us all more times than i can count.
he was much loved on the island for his gentle courtesy and his old-fashioned bedside manner.
he had the ability to make you feel like nothing was too much trouble, always taking time for a cup of tea and a chat on his home visits.
he was particularly sweet to my late mother Dorothy, who came to live with me in 2004.
David visited her many times as her health deteriorated and she became increasingly frail, particularly towards the end, when she was bed-bound. Mum wasn’t known for dispensing praise, but it didn’t take long for her to nickname him ‘Charming Chalmers’.
She would say that whenever she heard his car on the driveway, she felt safe. it was with Dr Chalmers’s help that she was able to die at home in her own bed, at the age of 92, with her two beloved Westies at her side, rather than in hospital. i also remember the help he gave me as a bewildered new mother trying to cope with my 18-month-old son Jamie, who was suffering badly from croup.
And just six years ago, it was his quick thinking that helped save my partner Patrick’s sight. Unknown to us all, he was suffering from polymyalgia, a syndrome which causes intense pain and which, if left untreated, can attack the optic nerve causing blindness. Blood tests had failed to identify the problem, but due to David’s instincts, Patrick was correctly diagnosed and treated.
Following this, my family put our wonderful GP forward for the ‘Pride of Man’ award in our local newspaper — and to our delight he won. it was our way of telling him how much we valued him.
So rest in Peace Charming Chalmers — i hope you’re up in heaven having a cup of tea and a natter with Mum, just like you used to. DaviD Chalmers, born February 14, 1955, died February 19, 2018, aged 63.