Letters of Support from Outside the Medical Community(note this page is under construction and
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Brian - a BIG MAN even as a Teenager
9/9/00 Dear Brian, Don't know if you remember me from Miramar High. I was in the same year as your brother Leo and you were in my Spanish class when you were a senior. I saw Leo at our 20 year reunion and he was telling me about your ongoing battles and your web site. I admired you then because you were a football star, an excellent student, and always kind to a ninth grader who I think you could sense idolized you a little bit as a Big Man on Campus. I vividly recall not having my lunch money one day and you taking care of it with the cashier for me when you heard her tell me: "No money, no lunch". That was 23 years ago and I still remember it. You were a man as a teenager and you are a real man now for having the guts to stick up for what you believe in. All the best in your fight with the little autocrats who are trying to ruin you. While I obviously don't know the details, there is no possible way that the decent, caring, and bright guy I knew in high school could be guilty of being incompetent. Sounds to me like there's a turf war going on and certain people just want to protect their incomes. Just like we did in high school football, when you get knocked down, get up and hit back harder. Keep going on and don't let the bastards wear you down. All the best always, Dave Bronstein
BG, A Big Guy Just as he did as a boy, and a youth, and a young man, Brian will fight
through this hard time. He’s a winner, and a hero to many people. I read
many of the 500 letters Brian’s patient wrote in his support. Some of
them brought tears to my eyes because of the simple love and warmth that
was reflected in them from his patients. My brother saves people’s legs
from being amputated, he saves their feet from deformity and pain, he
helps children walk and run straight. That’s the testimony of his
patients. And I know, because I’m his sister, that he will do everything
he can to continue helping people in one way or another, all his life.
That’s the kind of guy he is, and that’s what he does. May 23, 2000 Subject: Charges against Dr. Brian Gale To Whom It May Concern: I am compelled to write this letter in behalf of Dr. Brian Gale, regarding the charges that have been brought against him by the Podiatric Board. In my opinion, these charges are bogus! I would like to tell you about the person I have had the pleasure to know and work with. I was hired by Dr. Gale in May of 1994 and I worked for him for close to four years. I came to know Dr. Gale as a very caring and compassionate person. He had genuine concern for his patients. Part of my duties as a Medical Assistant was to make sure that each and every new patient, or patient who had a procedure during the day, was called the next day (within 2 days max) for a follow-up. It didn’t matter what they had done, whether it be as simple as a strapping, or whether they had a surgical procedure performed. He felt that patients may have questions or concerns, and it was up to us as their healthcare provider to make sure those concerns were addressed. At first I felt it was kind of silly to call someone who didn’t have any treatment, but he felt it was important, so it was done. I was witness to some amazing things as a result of Dr. Gales gift of surgical correction and his knowledge of the human foot and ankle. I was also witness to many patients who came to Dr. Gale because they had a bad result or bad experience with other physicians in our area (mainly Dr. X). Dr. Gale would lend a listening ear, but never supported any patients opinion of the care they had received earlier. He just wasn’t like that. However, when a patient like this would visit Dr. Gale for treatment, it was the main goal to correct the problem and try to make the patient better than before they came to see him. Most of the time the outcome was favorable. Not only was he good to his patients, but he was very good to me as an employee. He believes very strongly in continuing education, and he provided me the means to return to school to obtain my Associates Degree. He also encouraged and provided the means for me to write my certification test for Medical Assistant and also Certification for Podiatric Medical Assistant. This was done because he wanted me to have these credentials (for his practice and for myself). It doesn’t stop there. I was employed maybe two months when I became ill and was hospitalized for about six weeks. I had no vacation or sick time accrued, but he credited me vacation time for my entire stay in the hospital. In fact, he delivered a paycheck to me while I was in the hospital. He was also there when my son became suddenly ill with a deadly virus. He came to the ER and went out of his way to find out what was going on, and what was happening with my son. He assured me that everything was being done and gave me all the time I needed off work to deal with this traumatic ordeal. When my family needed a vehicle, he provided me with a way to make it happen. These are only a few of the things that this man did for me and the list goes on. Unfortunately, we parted under less than perfect terms. I left the clinic and we haven’t spoken since, but I have always felt (and still do) that Dr. Brian Gale is one of the best physicians in this town and I think the board should start looking for problems that actually exist instead of going after a vendetta by one of their members, which has been going on for years. I think Dr. Gale has done an excellent job of trying to turn the other cheek, but as I said at the beginning of this letter, These charges are Bogus. Dr. Gale’s family and career should not suffer because of some personal differences, or for that matter, professional competition. Isn’t competition among our medical professionals a good thing? I believe it keeps them all striving to know all the latest techniques and treatments. Dr. Gale is one that wants to know the latest and best treatments, unlike some who just want to keep doing things the way they’ve always done, whether it works or not. I don’t know if this one letter can make a difference, but even if it helps, maybe I will feel as if I’ve done something good in return for all the good that has been done for me, and for the patients I had the pleasure of knowing while I was employed at Dakota Foot and Ankle. Regards, Diane Sailer, MA ----Original Message----- From: Duane Snider [mailto:dsnider@state.nd.us] To: bgale9@home.com Dear Dr. Gale, I would like to take this time to personally thank you for the excellent care you gave me some time ago when I was a patient of yours. I had painful blisters on the back of my heels and you got me back on my feet again. As an avid golfer, this was truly a blessing, but my golf game is another subject. As an investigator for the Morton County Sheriff's Department, I have transported jail inmates to your clinic and was genuinely impressed by your compassion and professionalism toward the inmates. This is a sign of a true professional when you show no bias towards others. It bothers me that in our society where the majority are supposed to rule, that doesn't appear to be the case anymore. With all the overwhelming support that you have received from friends, colleagues, and patients, it makes me conclude that there is definitely a conspiracy against you. I have read and agree that the members of the State Board of Podiatric Medicine should change members more often to insure fairness to those which it represents, to include Dr. Olson who heads the board. I hope that Governor Schafer will utilize his power to change this or abolish the board completely. Please forward this letter to the State Senators and Representatives in hope that it could bring about positive change.Sincerely, Duane Snider Dear Duane, You can't imagine how many times my wife and I have been amazed by the tremendous support that several hundred people have given us. I don't think we could have made it this far without knowing that everyone realizes how unfairly I have been treated. My wife and I are in the process of getting rid of a vehicle, our boat, and the Olson's are insisting that I get an appraisal for a small coin collection that I have from when I was a child. These things don't bother us any more like they used to. We are lucky in so many ways. They can take my clinic and my license to practice. They can ruin my career. But they can't change the truth because everyone can clearly see what has happened here. They just took this too far. I am not a fighter or a vindictive person. I have been told that I waited too long before I started fighting back, but now that I know that there is no chance of the Board treating me fairly, I will continue to be vocal about this whether I win this appeal or not. The worse they bury me the louder we will get. Everyone supports us. Someday soon we will get into the national media spotlight and eventually this will all turn around for us. As you know I live by the saying, "treat people the way you would like them to treat you". It's a very simple philosophy that works well. It's a good feeling to be able to take the high road and not be concerned about the consequences from other people taking illegal actions against us. We have faith. Thank you so much for your kind words. Brian www.briangale.com |
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