Fam Med.
Published: 7/18/2025 | DOI: 10.22454/FamMed.2025.424454
Glucometer flashes
HIGH
I touch Mary’s arm
But her eyes
stare blankly at
her phone
I wait
Finally whispers emerge
A Haitian Creole interpreter
translates her
fear
It is 2025
threats of immigration raids hang
everywhere
Her house feels safer
than clinic
I hand her free insulin
Plan a telehealth follow-up
A hug without victory
This poem was awarded first prize at the 2025 STFM Poetry and Prose Contest.
Sarah E. Stumbar, MD, MPH
Affiliations: Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, University Park, FL
Sarah E. Stumbar, MD, MPH
Correspondence: Department of Humanities, Health, and Society, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St, AHC2-485, Miami, FL 33199
Email: sstumbar@fiu.edu
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