Maybe I've been lucky, the medical profession has benefitted me. I have a different approach from many people, I talk to the doctor or medical specialist about my thoughts. And I keep a positive attitude. This is based on two experiences in my life.
Growing up, I had a farm community doctor, Dr. Picard, who grew up and got his degree in Austria. He was trained to treat the whole person and not the symptoms. At the age of twenty, Dr. Picard got me through second and third degree burns over thirty percent of my body without too much scarring and at the age of thirty-eight a concussion so severe I had to learn to walk again.
When I had the concussion, I kept a daily diary of what I did, what I ate, what I felt and we reviewed this three times a week. One night as he was reading the diary with his back to me, I said, "Doc, even if we have to operate, let's see what we can do. I want to get well."
He turned to me and said, "If you want to get well, you will get well. If all my patients said that, I'd be a miracle worker. I've seen this before and we will try things that have worked in the past."
I recovered slowly for two years, then went on to a successful career. And this statement has always stuck with me. Whenever getting a new doctor, I bring this statement of Dr. Picard up in the initial discussion. The doctor recognizes the concept and we have a deeper discussion. They are not insulted by what I have said.
Cancer, I was diagnosed in August 2016 with Multiple Myeloma. The initial diagnosis was at Everett Providence, they told me I had a tumor in spine, it was cancerous and they could not identify the cancer. They then told me I had 90-120 days to live and to get my affairs in order. Then two hours later, their neurologist came down, said he had talked to Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle and they would take me as a patient.
At Swedish, five doctors worked seven hours to remove the tumor and rebuild my spine. The next day their oncologist came down and enlisted me into an investigative drug program. This worked for six years, slowing the progress of the disease. In May of last year, I enrolled into a different investigative drug program. This infuses a modified protein into me, this protein attaches to a specific receptor on the cancer cell. The white blood cells recognize the new cell as an intruder, builds a T-cell to fight the cancer cell and sweeps it from the body.
I think you need to enroll your doctor and think of them as a team. I tell them, "You are the medical expert and I rely on you. I am the integrated project manager. If you want a 787 Global Collaboration Enterprise built or a successful 767 Tanker bid, that is my expertise."
I take exception to the statement the medical community is fostering disease to keep themselves working. The dedication of the doctors at Swedish and the other cancer doctors I've met in the greater Seattle area is unbelievable. They are here to eliminate the disease and actively participating in research that will cure cancer in its many forms.
