Description: There is always vulnerability present in every patient-physician relationship. In surgery, there is the additional vulnerability of patients in the operating room – laying bare, often unconscious, and trusting their surgeon to see and alter parts they often have not seen themselves. We have seen numerous patients walk into the operating room: some smiling, some stoic, some cracking jokes, some in tears, and some asking us to take good care of them. No matter how they may outwardly present, I wanted to capture the vulnerability underneath while they are lying on the operating table to highlight that we do not always see their fear or anxiety, or their deeper scars and stories.
Xin Xu (she/her)