Hilton Koppe

Dr Hilton Koppe is a family doctor from Lennox Head, a small village on the east coast of Australia. Hilton combines his clinical work with an active role in medical education. Since 2003, Hilton has been running reflective writing workshops for doctors and other health professionals with the goal of deepening their compassion, overcoming professional isolation and reducing risk of burn out. Hilton has adapted his workshops to make them suitable for people living with chronic and serious illness. Hilton’s writing can be found in Snapdragon, Dreamers Creative, Please See Me, Hektoen International, Pulse, The Examined Life, Grieve, The Universal Doctor and More Voices. His play, Enduring Witness, has been performed in USA and Australia. A film version of the play is regularly used in medical education to facilitate end of life discussions.

Ignoring Vital Signs

These days I see my mum less often. But I see her better. Since I moved from the city to work as a country doctor twenty-five years ago, she visits a few times a year. She stays for a week or more. We get to share breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tonight, I am sitting with her in our lounge room. My kids are in bed. My wife is out. We are watching Fiddler on the Roof.

Creative Nonfiction

Issue 59, March 2022

Hilton Koppe

Dr Hilton Koppe is a family doctor from Lennox Head, a small village on the east coast of Australia. Hilton combines his clinical work with an active role in medical education. Since 2003, Hilton has been running reflective writing workshops for doctors and other health professionals with the goal of deepening their compassion, overcoming professional isolation and reducing risk of burn out. Hilton has adapted his workshops to make them suitable for people living with chronic and serious illness. Hilton’s writing can be found in Snapdragon, Dreamers Creative, Please See Me, Hektoen International, Pulse, The Examined Life, Grieve, The Universal Doctor and More Voices. His play, Enduring Witness, has been performed in USA and Australia. A film version of the play is regularly used in medical education to facilitate end of life discussions.

Ignoring Vital Signs

These days I see my mum less often. But I see her better. Since I moved from the city to work as a country doctor twenty-five years ago, she visits a few times a year. She stays for a week or more. We get to share breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tonight, I am sitting with her in our lounge room. My kids are in bed. My wife is out. We are watching Fiddler on the Roof.

Creative Nonfiction

Issue 59, March 2022

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