Dear Tom,

I am just an ordinary guy from Russia and, frankly speaking, I haven’t heard of you before. So you might ask me why I am writing this letter. Here is my story. I am 35 now but for more than 15 years I’ve been suffering from chronic pelvic pain syndrome, the term which is certainly familiar to you as a health professional. I’ve been going through ups and downs (downs are especially troublesome) in my condition, I’d been prescribed tons of antibiotics, painkillers, sedatives, diet supplements (the list is not exhaustive). My condition is not lethal, of course, and it is not as serious as many other people’s problems. However, in the times of exacerbation the painkillers don’t work and I have to cope with the pain myself and, of course, with the help of health workers who do their best to help me. Moreover, if I plunge into sadness and depression thinking that there’s no way out, the doctors can manage my condition. They give me treatment and hope. I could never be grateful enough to them all for their assistance, so by writing this letter to you as an eminent doctor, I am thanking all you, doctors, for what you are doing to relieve pain no matter how deep it is, no matter whether it is physical or psychological, no matter who is suffering and for how long. Sometimes pain is necessary (sad but true), but in the end, life is more about joy than about pain, isn’t it? You make us sense this, feel this and value this. So, thank you and… stay healthy!