Beloved Pediatrician Sends Letter Of Thanks, Love To Community

MATTITUCK, NY — A beloved Mattituck pediatrician is set to retire after 36 years of devoted service to generations of families on the North Fork — and he has written an open letter to the community, describing his beautiful journey and thanking the community he loves.

Dr. Mercier has worked tirelessly, with his wife Barbara, a nurse, by his side, treating North Fork children, and their children after them.

In April, Dr. Mercier announced that a decision had been made to combine his practice with Peconic Pediatrics of Riverhead and Southold.

The changeover began in May, and the Merciers remained in their Matituck office until July; the practice has now moved to Peconic Pediatrics' Southold office, located at 44210 Route 48, (Winds Way), 631-765-0050. The Riverhead office is located at 34 Commerce Drive, Suite 2, 631-722-8880. Beginning in September, Peconic Pediatrics will take over full time and the Merciers will retire.

And now, Dr. Mercier has written a heartfelt letter describing a career marked by dedication and love for the generations of children he's cared for.

Here is his letter. . .

"We arrived on the North Fork in August, 1981. How this happened is very interesting. I was born in Queens, the second of three boys. My family moved around the East, due to my father’s job, so I ended up at Ohio State for college and Penn State for medical school. For my pediatric residency, I came to New York City. That’s where I met Barbara Spath, who was a registered nurse on pediatrics at Roosevelt Hospital. We were married within one year, and started coming to Mattituck for weekends, as Barbara was a fifth generation summer person.

"We were at a yard sale in 1980 and someone told us that there was a need for a pediatrician here. We were put in touch with Dr. Micah Kaplan, who was chief of the medical staff at Eastern Long Island Hospital, and Dr. Jack Campbell, who was a long-time pediatrician here. They encouraged and assured us sincerely that it would work out for us to start a practice here. Soon we received a call from Dr. Louis Verderese, a retiring family practice doctor in Cutchogue. He offered his fully equipped office for $300 a month.

"If it were not for the encouragement of Drs. Kaplan and Campbell, and the extreme generosity of Dr. Verderese, we would certainly not be here today. These three doctors were examples and mentors to me because they represented a generation of physicians who had a 'call' to medicine: solo practitioners who ran their practices primarily as a 'service,' not a business. They were willing to lay their lives down and be available to any one, at any hour, who needed medical attention. We learned, and have continued to understand that, in Heaven’s economy, 'freely we receive, and freely we give'.

"A small house was found for us to rent in New Suffolk and we sensed that God had His hand on us and was directing our steps. Mr. Ketcham from Orient made a sign for us. We 'hung that shingle', got a telephone line, put an announcement in the paper, and waited for people to call. It was very exciting and a little bit scary.

"Our first day was August 17, 1981. We were 28 and 30 years old at that time, with our 2-year-old daughter Nicole. Barbara welcomed the patients and answered the phone . . . when it would ring. Our daughter played in the waiting room, and I did the 'doctoring', when we would have a patient. We counted the appointments, and figured that we would have enough money to buy groceries by that Thursday!

"After 6 months, the practice was growing. We were honored to be trusted by so many parents, amazed at the acceptance that we received here, and assimilating into the community, but we were not earning enough money to pay our expenses. Seeking direction, we prayed, and asked God to lead us and give us a sign. About 20 minutes after that short prayer, we received a telephone call from Dr. Campbell, informing us that he had decided to retire in 2 months, and asking 'Can I send my patients to you?' From that moment on, we rarely had a slow day.

"From the moment that we started, we knew that being a solo pediatrician here would involve a commitment to this community and were very willing to dedicate ourselves to that. The community responded with a sense of respect and appreciation, which has made these past 36 years so wonderful, rich, and rewarding. We have watched patients and their families grow, then been privileged to be the doctor for the children of those who we had attended as newborns. Now, we have actually seen 5 newborns that are the grand children of former patients!

"In the early years, there were many kids with serious infections, like meningitis, septic arthritis, and bone infections who were hospitalized at ELIH. There was a lot of anxiety on the parts of parents and those of us who cared for them, but they would recover, thanks to the grace of God, and the innate resilience of children. Those infections are rare now, due to new vaccines. Over the years, there were a number of children with cancers, leukemia, and several who had brain tumors. These were the most heartbreaking situations, but again, thanks to amazing advances in chemotherapy, pediatric surgery, and the hand of God, all these children survived. One young lady endured chemotherapy, then miraculously, years later, was able to bear two children who I was privileged to treat. That was a double miracle!

"Sadly, some patients did go to heaven prematurely. But in each situation, I was so impressed by the parents who were tirelessly devoted to their children. They were an example to me of maturity and dignity. And it was a lesson for me to always do everything possible, even if the situation seemed hopeless. The worst, however, were the diagnoses that I missed. Those situations were very difficult because treatment was delayed.

"My developmentally delayed patients taught me so much. Sometimes it was only with their eyes that they would communicate. Others could use some words. But their parents are the amazing ones, dedicating their lives in love to a child who was so needy and might never be able to fully return that love in a tangible way.

"There were some hilarious times, also. Once, I received a late night call from distraught parents. Their son had pushed a chewable Tylenol into his nose and they were in a terrible panic. They met me at my office around midnight. Placing the boy on the exam table, he promptly gave a violent sneeze, and the intact Tylenol tablet landed on his chest. Another child was fighting violently as I was attempting to remove impacted ear wax. He suddenly fell into a deep sleep and I was able to complete the procedure.

"But the most fun and fulfillment that I had was in seeing tiny, fully-dependent healthy lives grow and mature, into toddlers who greeted me without tears, then school-aged kids who would joke with me, and eventually teenagers who shook my hand and told me about their plans for life. Along the way, I saw their parents mature in wisdom and love.

"I learned so much from what I observed in families and what parents told me. And I learned how resilient children can be, when they are in an environment of stable parental love. It has always been both a pleasure and a challenge to reassure parents that most of the difficult times are just a 'stage' and that they have not made an irreversible mistake in child rearing. That has been one of my goals: to encourage parents to stick together, to strengthen their self-confidence, and teach them to trust their own God-given instincts and intuition.

"In the ensuing years, our own family has grown. We have been blessed with three children, their spouses, and now four grandchildren. Barbara and I are so grateful to God for the privilege of serving the North Fork community for these past 36 years and we look forward to this new season in our lives."