(This is a flashback to January 12, 2009)
I headed back home to chilly Omaha today after a four day stay in sunny Phoenix where my mother lives. It was hard to leave, but I hope I was of some help and comfort to her and her husband as they received latest lung cancer test results. It certainly helped me to be part of the process.
As I drove out of the airport parking garage, with snow blustering everywhere and my body having to readjust to Nebraska weather, the parallel struck me: My mom is once again entering the cold world of chemo and all that comes along with it. Man, what do I have to complain about – a little wind, some ice and snow? C’mon Jen, knock it off.
You may already do so, but, I can’t reiterate it enough: ALWAYS bring an advocate to appointments with you…someone who can ask questions, get clarification, ensure details are confirmed for the next appointment, etc…
It truly is a DIY healthcare system. If you don’t watch out for yourself, be proactive and make sure the doctor’s and their staff are DOING THEIR JOBS, you will get lost in the cracks. There are great doctors out there. There are bad ones. There are great staff members out there. There are bad ones.
Somehow, my mom, who has Stage IV NSCLC, managed to attract all the bad ones throughout her “care.” I’m not being overly dramatic. I’m not embellishing. If one were to write a book, which I plan to, on everything she has endured, readers would never believe it was a true story. I only wish it were fiction.
It is so incredibly sad we feel helpless in the healthcare system to begin with—then add lung cancer on top of it–that’s a major double-whammy.
My mom just wants to pound on the keyboard, as she wants to write SOMEONE for help…or call someone for help….someone who will truly listen. Where are these people? Well, unfortunately, right now, they aren’t out there—or at least they don’t know they will be forced to listen in the near future.
What we can do ourselves is bring more awareness and urgency to lung cancer research and hold hospitals, physicians, nurses, etc…accountable.
While it may be a DIY healthcare system, we can DIT: Do it Together—and we WILL.
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