KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A Kalamazoo doctor has penned his own country song to recognize the sacrifices of medical staff and those lost to COVID-19.
Dr. Jeffrey Laman, a third year-medical resident at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, was touched by the scenes of healthcare workers and those they take care of during these trying times.
“My heart went out to them and I was thinking about how hard that must be,” said Dr. Laman. “I was thinking that I wished there was a way to let those doctors in those hard-hit areas know that what they’re doing is being supported, that we’re behind them and what they’re doing is meaningful.”
He decided to pay tribute to those on the frontlines by writing the country tune “American Doctor,” a reworking of Toby Keith’s song “American Soldier.”
Within an hour he came up with all of the lyrics:
I’m an American Doctor, An AmericanBeside my nurses and assistants, I will proudly take a standWhen lives are in jeopardy, I will always do what’s rightI’m out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonightAmerican Doctor, I’m an American Doctor
Laman says he hopes it encourages a sense of pride in his colleagues for the work they’ve done, “I also hope that the song reminds them that they are not alone, that we are in this together and that we each have people working alongside us in this fight.”
More on Dr. Laman’s story can be found here.
(Josh Scott contributed to this report.)
