One of the neat things about Dr. Hsu besides his focus on this rare condition and developing a specific program and surgical technique to change the lives of MALS patients is that he and his staff treat their patients like family. They also understand that by the time the patients get to them they likely have suffered years of pain and GI-appearing symptoms.  They have been told all tests are normal and they are fine.  They have been referred to psychiatry and counseling.  They have had to quit activities and some taken out of school.   They have had friends and family and coaches say they are making it up and not really hurting - I think this hurts the most.  They have lost out on opportunities because of the pain.  Their personalities change from chronic pain. And they have doubted and questioned themselves.  Their parents have doubted, questioned, cried, screamed and felt tremendous guilt about all of it.  They come to him broken in so many ways.  He knows this. He gets it.  And he educates his staff and the staffs at the hospitals he works out of so they handle the patients and their families with great care.