Thank You To My Patients
September 1, 2025
For my patients and families:
Thank you so much for the honor and privilege of being your pediatrician.
It is with a heavy heart that I need to tell you that I’m leaving Surf City Pediatrics. Truly it has overall been a wonderful experience—joining a work family and creating a community of patient families.
It has been a joy and a privilege to work with you all.
I love being a pediatrician. I love feeling like I am making a difference in my patients’ lives.
To the original SCP owners, Dr. Pepek, Dr. Bennett, and Dr. Kasamatsu, thank you so much for the opportunity and for allowing me to be a part of someplace so special. I have learned a lot from the three of you and I am grateful.
To everyone: Claudine, Lacey, Rachel, Dina, Cherryl, Erin, Lori, Percy, Sonia, Pattie,Tink, Karina, Kaylee, Jillian, Cynthia, Alejandra, Yesi, Anni, and Alaya—thank you for making SCP feel like family. Thank you for all you have taught me.
Change is hard, but often necessary. Look at the often-mentioned butterfly. I’ll be heading to urgent care at Kaiser, and am also looking toward opening a children’s bookstore. I’ll focus on my kids and my family, dig up my unfinished novel, work on my picture books, start the blog up again.
And I would love to keep in touch—I love hearing about my patients and patient families, including those who are still in the area and those who have moved away. Feel free to follow me on Instagram (doctor_bookworm or doctor_bookworm_reviews), or message me through the blog, especially if you would like to hear news about book recommendations or the bookstore. My last day at SCP will be October 10, 2025.
Finally, thank you to all the kids (and young adults) who have brought a smile to my face, who have made me cry, who have made me pull my hair out with worry, who have patiently waited on busy days, who have shared book recommendations with me, and who have shared a little bit of their stories with me. It truly has been an honor and a privilege and I cannot thank you enough for letting me be your pediatrician.
Xoxoxo,
Dr. Tioleco-Cheng/Dr. Tioleco/Dr. Tio/Dr. T/Dr. Bookworm
