Our Hummingbird
We all know that the hummingbird is a kind and gentle creature that showcases intellectual curiosity, a legendary work ethic, and matchless efficiency. You may think that the similarities between our practice and the hummingbird end there…but to truly understand the deep and personal story of our logo, one must embark on a journey back in time…
On a white sandy Chicago beach nearly six decades ago, a chance encounter between a young man and a young lady would ultimately lead to the tale and legend of the hummingbird, as I know it. You see, it was here that my Mom, the late Mrs. Betty Waterford, and my Dad, the late Mr. Alfred Waterford, first met. And their journey of life and love would result in 5 children, several grandchildren, a successful family business, and a story that shapes who I am today.
Even back in the day, despite the rigors and time constraints of a small family-owned business, my Dad somehow found a way to always make it home for the nightly Waterford family evening meal. In the Waterford household, dinnertime was (and still is) the best time to reconnect at the end of a hectic day filled with work and school and
Perhaps even more amazing was the realization that Dad’s arrival for the family meal was heralded by the appearance of a hummingbird, who would routinely fly up to the front window, announcing Dad’s pending arrival home. This “hummingbird notification system” worked just as reliably as today’s cell phone call or text! We would watch in amazement as this sequence of events would regularly unfold, day after day.
The more I tried to explain and rationalize this phenomenon, the more impossible the task became. It just came to be accepted – when the hummingbird arrived, Mom would begin the final preparations for dinner and call us all to the
And so, it only seemed fitting that the regular hummingbird sightings abruptly ceased in the year 2000, when Dad passed away unexpectedly. Mom relocated to California, leaving behind the Park Forest, Illinois window where so many sightings and connections had occurred. Now imagine sadness being replaced with comfort when the hummingbird sightings returned later that year, 2400 miles away! The appearances would generally occur on special dates (anniversaries, birthdays, weddings) or when we were considering an important decision. But it was when I witnessed his appearance at the front steps of my home in California, on the 1st birthday of my eldest daughter, that I truly became a believer… The hummingbirds and everything they stood for
Dad worked tirelessly for decades, running his small toner and copier business. He often reminded us that there was nothing more valuable than his reputation. He also remarked that he had three very important clients – the one currently in the office, the one who had just left, and the one who would next walk through the door. He also regularly noted that the fate of the family business rested squarely on the shoulders of these three clients. Dad’s philosophy was that the delivery of impeccable service to each client was essential, and that each and every client should be treated like “family.” This paradigm worked for Dad in the office machine business in the south suburbs of Chicago. And amazingly, these timeless principles of excellence, dedication, service, and commitment still apply to my practice of medicine and surgery today.
And so, inspired by this journey, it is with great pride and humility that I welcome you to the Waterford Vein Institute of Hawaii and Pacific Rim Cardiovascular. It is both our mission and my personal guarantee that you will receive state of the art and compassionate care by a fellowship trained and board certified physician and his dedicated staff. We will take the time to explain and discuss every aspect of your care, and treat you like family in the process. And you will quickly appreciate that this is a level of care and service that I expect, you deserve, Mom appreciates, and one which would make Dad very, very proud.
– R. Randolph Waterford, MD