when my primary care dr retired, he sent us to dr ellis at mgh.  my husband + i were with dr ellis for only a short amount of time + then he retired.  dr ellis gave us a list of three drs to choose from at mgh.  we randomly picked dr goodson + when we met with him for the first time we felt like it was one of the luckiest days of our life.  my husband passed away 17 years ago, but i continued with dr goodson until he sent the letter stating that he had ALS.  i just celebrated my 97th birthday which i attribute my long life to the professional care dr goodson provided to me over these many years.  now dr goodson, it is time for you to rest.  may you rest in peace.

John you were my first clinical teacher when I was a third year medical student at HMS.  You taught me how to be a clinical doctor and listen and care for patients.  You helped me know where the spleen was located!!  We got to know each other well in the following years as I lectured in your many courses and shared many patients with you.  Every day you live on with me as I care for patients in the way you meant for them to be cared for.  You taught me how to be a doctor.

Dr. Goodson was the definition of the word, mensch. He had the best bedside manner of any doctor I ever came across. And our love for the Red Sox always filled my visits with such joy and love. Thank you, and God bless you, Dr. Goodson. 

For over 20 years I worked regularly with Dr. Goodson through the Society of General Internal Medicine's (SGIM) Clinical Practice and Health Policy Committees and its Leadership in Health Policy Program.  Dr. Goodson's dedication to his patients and to improving  patient care was inspiring.  His  commitment to correcting longstanding disparities in reimbursement for  primary and cognitive care relative to procedural care was unparalleled and resulted in substantive beneficial changes to improve support for primary and cognitive care in this country.  I will greatly miss him, as will his many SGIM colleagues.    With deep condolences for his family, profound sorrow at his passing, and great regard for a life well-lived,

Tom Staiger, MD

Professor Emeritus of Medicine, University of Washington

Dr. John Goodson was the finest Primary Care Physician I could possibly imagine, but he was an even more wonderful person.  Dr Goodson was my PCP for approximately 30 years, and for my Uncle for over 25.  The level of care and depth of commitment he showed to his patients were truly awe-inspiring.  Approximately 15 years ago, I suffered from an unexpected cerebral hemorrhage on July 4th weekend.  Dr. Goodson visited me the day i was admitted and every day until i was released.  Two weekends in July, and he came to see me every day.  I will never forget that.  He always made sure both myself and my Uncle saw the best specialists whenever we suffered from injury or malady, and his referrals were always warmly received, usually with a mention of how good a Doctor he was.

What truly stood out to me, however, was the personal connection Dr Goodson made with me and all of his patients.  He cared so  much about us as people.  Intensely interested in my fitness and athletic pursuits, he was the first to recommend to me practicing yoga as i aged.  I now practice several times weekly and it has helped me in so many ways beyond what i expected.   He just knew.

As our beloved Uncle aged into  his 80's and his anxieties worsened and health declined, Dr Goodson and Camille were always there for him.   It was obvious in the way Dr Goodson spoke about him and to him, the respect, admiration and love he had for his patients.  I remember a particular day when Dr Goodson visited my Uncle at his room at MGH.  I noted how nice it was to have a Dr visit every day, and my Uncle, seemingly unimpressed,  mentioned how he "was in the building."   I knew my Uncle was being cantankerous, but i vividly remember the nurse proclaiming how rare it was and how special Dr Goodson truly was.

As a bachelor progressing into my 50's who had spent a long time focusing on a career and our family business,  Dr. Goodson was also the first and most fervent person to convince me to have children.   Rose was born to myself and Briana on November 3, 2022, and everything Dr. Goodson told me has proven true.  It is the greatest love i have ever experienced.  The encouragement and confidence he provided helped me truly believe i wasn't too old.

I am sorry i waited so long to share my love for Dr. Goodson, and i regret not letting him know when he was alive, but i will always do my best to honor his memory and to pass on his wisdom and love to others.  Dr. John Goodson was one of the finest people i have ever known.  My condolences to all his friends and family.   Thank you for allowing me this time to share my tribute to Dr. John Goodson, the finest friend and Doctor

Michael Devereaux

John and I were good friends as boys. We attended Brytant Elementary School and Southwest High School together. We are standing next to each other in our 7th-grade graduation picture from Bryant. We were also Boy Scouts together. We spent many weekends on overnight campouts and at Scout Camp. Our Scout master, Doc Hodgeson, never cancelled an overnight due to inclement weather; rain or shine, hot or cold, it didn’t matter. He often took us to primitive campsites and just expected us to “be prepared” for any contingency. John was always a good sport about our adversities, encouraging all the other scouts.

We went our separate ways after HS, but we both ended up with careers in healthcare. He became a well-known doctor and educator at the best hospital in the world, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and I became a pediatric cardiac nurse at Children’s Mercy Hospital in KCMo.

John knew he was dying and made a YouTube video to thank all the people he worked with over the years. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch…

Goodbye, John, until we meet again at that heavenly campsite.

My sincere condolences to all the family. Both my wife and I were John's patients for many years,  he was not only our doctor he was also a friend, John cared about his patients  health care but he went much further than that, he cared about the person, he took the time to talk about our lives, find out about our struggles our work  and day to day lives and responsibilities. We shared memories, places where he and we visited where we came from and how live was hen we grew up, we were caregivers for our parents for a long period of our adult lives, he found that special and always wanted to know how our parents were doing and how we were copying with it, it was uplifting and so helpful to be able to talk about it, not everyone understands the difficulties and responsibilities of a caregiver but he did and took the time to listen give us advice as well as making sure that we took time for ourselves whenever possible . John was a very special person not just as a doctor but also as person he touched our hearts everytime we saw him, to see him with this terrible disease it was unbearable, he sure did not deserve this. God give him eternal peace and a special place besides him, help all the family through this very difficult time, he will be missed by all of us we are just so very thankful we got to know  him and have him as our doctor and friend.

John was special  friend and incredible asset to the medical profession and especially the American College Of Physicians,Many of the important  chages to the better for primary care would not have been possible without John.He will be missed but his contributions and associated results will last forever.Thoughts and prayers to wife and associated families

I am deeply saddened by the loss of John Goodson.  He was my late husband's PCP for a lifetime as well as his leader fighting to amend the State Constitution to make health care a universal right.  Bill  loved and admired him deeply.

John was our family's sherpa after Bill's terrible accident in 1997 with a bicycle messenger, which left him in a coma two levels below vegetative for 6 weeks.  From the moment he came to the BI's Intensive Care Unit  upon learning the news, he assumed full command. For the next 25 years, John was our guide.  He gave us courage through those dark weeks after the accident, celebrated with us when Bill made a miraculous recovery, and then guided us through the ups and down of  Bill's slow decline for his last years.

I will be forever grateful for his wisdom, his patience ,his support and his friendship. My deep condolences to his family and to all who are feeling this loss.

As his patient, Dr. Goodson was superlative in every respect: caring, passionate, compassionate, and meticulous, the epitome of a great physician.

As my patient , John showed all the beautiful characteristics of a loving husband, father, and  grandfather, and always coming for his evening dental appointments with folders to write his clinical notes  for his patients  that day, “always maximizing the efficiency function“ as I would tell him. He laughed. We shall all miss him dearly.

James W. Triant DDS

John was the physician of my parents as well as many other family members. He was a family doctor  in the old-fashioned, honorable sense of the word, even making house calls when his patients became too elderly to make the trip to MGH. He was always willing to take time to discuss treatment options for patients with their extended families, often staying into the night at the hospital to do so.  His caring attention was and is so very much appreciated.  A true credit to the entire medical profession, and a brave gentleman during his own extended period of illness, John will be genuinely missed.

Where to start? That John was my amazing decades-long doctor? That he took the time to really get to know me and my life? That he was caring and smart and thoughtful, and beloved by his colleagues and staff, and a world-class physician? That I always felt he was looking right at me and listening carefully as I spoke during our quarterly or semi-annual visits? That I always thought that having John as my primary care doctor was the most incredible gift an otherwise faceless and often careless medical system could give me? That my biggest fear was that I would outlive him and have to do without? All of the above, I guess.

It is said that ALS is a cruel disease for someone who lives in their mind, as John did, when the mind then becomes trapped in an unwilling body. The worst irony I have known is that in my early days under John's care, he was simultaneously guiding my closest friend through ALS, with his wonderful care and empathy. The loss of John to the same terrible disease is just plain cruel.

I asked an MGH specialist I have known as long as I knew John if he could recommend a new PCP to replace John. His response? That there is simply no one left in our current medical system who is like John, who will take the time and care to get to really know his patients in the same way despite a system that allots 15 minutes per visit.

How incredibly lucky I was to have John as my doctor and life guide for as long as I did. Seeing these messages, I am obviously not alone feeling that way.

It is hard to put into words the impact Dr. John Goodson had on my life, that of my husband and his many patients.   He was a giant among men and none of us will ever see a physician who is as compassionate, caring, thoughtful, kind and competent as Dr.  Goodson!   He was my PCP for over 25 years and cared for me not only physically, but emotionally as well.   In John's office, I never felt rushed or unseen.  He took time to talk about every aspect of my health,  my life, my family and even asked often what I was doing creatively to relieve the stress of work and every day life.   He was always upbeat and positive even when we discussed the difficult political times we were experiencing - which stressed me to no end - and I felt in him a kindred spirit.  I still miss his guidance and  support.  My heart goes out to his family and everyone  who knew him - he will be missed forever and always!  

My deepest condolences What a loss. John was a tireless advocate for primary care and the patients we serve. He was a true inspiration for me and I learned so much from him over the years. His many contributions will continue to make a difference. His work will continue to live on.

Though a writer by profession, I find it hard to express how much Dr. Goodson meant to my health -- both physical and emotional. In each situation, he was there when needed most.

John always encouraged my songwriting, though I think most of that was because he wanted me off the road from the utterly unhealthy NBA beat. ... Anyway, here's the lyric sheet from one I wrote and shared with him a few years ago.

As with the note above, it cannot fully convey the depth of my appreciation:

THE BALLAD OF DR. JOHN GOODSON

Little boy, little boy, what you gonna do?

So many choices lay ahead of you

As you gazed from earth upon that pearl

I wonder

When did you decide that you'd want to save the world?

Then little man, little man, what you gonna be?

Another healing branch in the family tree

Caring for the fortunate to see your door

That's enough for most, but you asked for more

(Bridge)

To whom much is given, much will be demanded

That never bothered you, no

The role you've taken must be expanded

The heart just tells you so

Fight the system, meet the resistance

Eyes fixed on the goal

So much more than flesh to existence

Focus on the soul

[instrumental bridge]

[change meter]

Every piece chipped from the wall

Leaves less for the next to do

And the one who breaks through

Knows it isn't done without you

(Slow)

And as you try to save the world

And man the battle line

I thank you, sir,

For helping save mine

© 2023 Stephen Bulpett

Dr. Goodson was my internist at Mass General Hospital for over thirty-five years. He once said to me: “I am your cut man”—a cut man being a corner man in combat sports like boxing who treats injuries between rounds so a fighter can go back into the ring and triumph. He was that and so much more. Though I initially lived in Boston, over the years I moved to Baltimore and then to New York, where there are excellent physicians. But I returned to MGH twice a year for checkups with John. He was an incomparable diagnostician and could recommend the best specialist care. When I saw John, he monitored my physical health, thoughts about work, interests outside of work, and above all my well-being as a human on this troublesome earth. He had a powerful ethical understanding of the equality of people and worked for universal healthcare in Massachusetts. I recall once, on Patient Gateway, I asked if he could prescribe Ativan. Response: “that requires a conversation: I will call you tonight.” He did call, and talked with me for an hour—after which I no longer needed the Ativan. When he was diagnosed with ALS and had to retire, I came back to say good-bye. At that meeting we spoke mortal to mortal. His was such a life force. The Boston Globe obituary quoted from one of his poems in which he recalled a conversation with a patient he treated who was dying of ALS, a fate that would also be John’s. He knew: “Life unfolds as it does and the body does what it does. It’s no different for me.” There could be no more profound embrace of life including its devastating challenges. In Melville’s Moby Dick one character says to another: “you touch my inmost center…you are tied to me by cords woven of my heartstrings.” So many people felt that about John.

John was my and my wife’s doctor for over 30 years. He was truly a gifted and compassionate physician, who embodied in every way what the term “doctor” means.  He deeply cared about me and my wife as people, not simply patients, always listening and asking questions about life, family, and other things beyond just medical information. He guided me through my cancer diagnosis and treatment when I was in my 30’s, instilling confidence, and peacefulness in place of worry and anxiety. It was truly a gift and blessing to be his patient, and to know him. He will remain in my memory forever. My condolences to his family.

John Goodson was a great physician and an even better person. I never awoke in a hospital bed without John at the foot, reading my chart, consulting with nurses and guiding every aspect of my care. God speed my doctor and my friend. 

John Listening; oil painting made to honor his spirit and our friendship — with John Goodson

The World has lost an incredible human being. Dr Goodson was an extremely caring Man and you knew that when he asked how your life was he truly wanted to know. Thank you Sir for all you did, you most definitely made a difference in many people’s lives. God Rest Your Soul ❤️

I will miss you so much Dr Goodson Your loving longtime Patient Inga You took care of me for over 30 years We had interesting conversations I asked you one time "what is going to do me in someday Your reply "you will be run over by a bus" Well Dr Goodson I am almost 89 and I will watch for the Buses !

 

I was a patient of Dr Goodson’s for over 40 yrs. In fact I was one of his first patients after he completed his residency. We often joked about this during our visits. Dr Goodson also was my husband Steve’s physician. Steve had MS and because of Dr Goodson’s immeasurable care lived far longer than expected.   I miss Dr Goodson so very much.  I always felt privileged to have him as my doctor. He will forever be in my thoughts and prayers. He will always be “ my “ doctor.