Here and There

David Gong was a great dentist. I found him totally by accident, through the health plan I had several jobs ago. I first saw him in 2001, and knew right away I had finally found a doctor I liked and could trust.

I continued seeing him, every six months, even after I left that job and got onto a new plan. I paid that extra whatever-it-was for the privilege of visiting his office, being company to his pleasant and informative conversations.

Gong never talked down to me, the way some doctors do. He always had fun things to talk about, whether it was the latest Mac, cool stuff about photography and things he had shot, or deep sea fishing. He was the epitome of humble.

I had to give him up as a regular dentist when I decided to go back to school in fall 2003. I told myself as soon I graduate (next month), I’d give his office a call and get back on schedule. The last time I reminded myself of this need was about a month ago.

Then I got a letter saying they were sorry, but because Dr. Gong passed away, several other dentists were stepping in to take care of his patients. I was stunned. Besides being so full of life, Gong seemed on the younger side of “adult with kids.” I later found out he was 56.

Today, I randomly looked into the cause of death, and now, 12 hours later, I’m still in a bit of shock. Turns out I didn’t hear about this because I was in production for the school magazine last weekend, but Gong was shot and killed on Thursday, October 27 outside his office.

The shooter was a former patient who experienced gum disease, but hadn’t been to see Gong in several years. There were no official complaints or evidence of animosity.

After the point-blank range shooting, Gong struggled to get away, and fell to the ground. The gunman went over and finished the job, then got his own car and killed himself.

The whole thing is so disgusting and confusing and frustrating. It doesn’t change at all how I feel about guns: Of course it isn’t guns that kill people; it’s people. But the fact that someone capable of such a foul act was A) roaming the streets, and B) able to acquire a gun so easily is just flat wrong. What happened to the system that’s supposed to protect us? What happened to the mental health system that’s supposed to be there to treat people with problems?

I find it very, very difficult to believe a man can suddenly snap one day, walk out of his house, and murder his dentist. This story, as tragic as it is on its own, is indicative of how much the “system” fails all of us.

Like I said, I’m still in shock. Sorry for the downer.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.