The Atlantic: contributed by the son of a physician with CC
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I have found the article to be very interesting because it was what everyone on this site has expierenced. I read it to say he started with HOPE and would leave no stone unturned, he used his medical degree to do what most can’t do and that is medical expierments, he tried to maintain a normal life and when it was time to accept the fact he wasn’t going to win the battle he did it with grace and his family supported and respected all his choices. I too had a child who was in college and my husband, doctor and myself wanted her to stay there. When the second transplant happenned she did end up coming home and missing a semester of college.
I just heard so many of our CC families stories and expierences in this article. I agree with Eli that this is just my opinion and feel free to disagree. The bright side to this our cancer made it to a major magazine!!
Lots of prayers-CathyI saw this article yesterday and found it quite upsetting to read. Not the facts of dad’s disease. Rather, the son’s train of thought.
The son admits at the outset that he had not been there by dad’s side for most of dad’s journey. Dad insisted that son should stay in college. The son also admits that he didn’t take time and effort to educate himself about CC while dad was alive. Now that dad has passed, the son has the gall to question dad’s choices and motivation. I found this questioning rather arrogant.
The son wrote that dad’s short survival is “an average result”. The son seems to be surprised that dad failed to achieve a better outcome, despite his superior medical knowledge and connections. In my opinion, the son doesn’t truly understand how devastating CC is.
The son suggests that dad’s medical knowledge robbed him of Hope. Yet the facts in the article don’t support this assertion. Dad grew the samples of his own tumor in lab rats, looking for the best possible treatment. Dad had a very hard time with chemo, but he continued to do it until 3 weeks before passing. That doesn’t strike me as a person who lacked Hope.
Overall, this article is supposed to be a deep, thought-provoking piece that explores the relationship between Knowledge and Hope. In my opinion, the son failed rather miserably. The fact that he wasn’t there day to day shows in what he wrote.
My opinion only and feel free to disagree.
Wow, that was a very interesting article and made even more interesting to me is that he was treated (and worked) at Roswell in Buffalo. I went there for a second opinion about chemo and there is only one doctor there that treats CC so I have to assume that is the doc he is talking about in the article that treated his dad. Her chemo suggestion for me was very aggressive for my circumstances (clean margins, no lymph node involvement). She thought I should do Xeloda and Gemzar. My onc thought that that was too toxic and not proven or indicated in my situation. i went with what my local onc suggested.
I will say that the Roswell doc was very honest, caring, and thoughtful.
I am all for understanding thoroughly what’s going on and making decisions along with my docs and family, but I can understand why people want to give over their treatment to docs too. there is comfort in not knowing for some.
well, I ramble, but thanx for the post Marion. And you are welcome to have breakfast with me anytime…I’ll put out the fish!
For a physician diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer, medical knowledge and connections did not mean he would overcome the odds. But they did shape his perspective on the experience.
Quote: The Atlantichttp://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/08/a-doctors-deathbed-the-burden-of-knowledge/261440/
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