Beating Back Cancer: University of Pennsylvania

Saturday, April 17, 2010

A Life Sentence

"Think of it as a disease, like diabetes, that you live with, die with, but not die of." Thus spoke Sunita Nasta, MD, Non-/Hodgkins Oncology Specialist, and my newest physician caregiver. Never was a diagnosis better received. In short, I got a life sentence, a long one (that's me on the left, walking the white llama). And it was a long time coming. At various times, I amped up my conversations with God and evaluated my life, dispassionately, to learn that by my standards I had lived well. Now the challenge might become dying well. Was I up to it.

And that's where the hand of God, the work of faith and prayer, serendipitous intervention, or just old-fashioned luck plays its hand. Call it as you see it, but for me, it was a Padre Pio miracle.

Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Grade 2, Stage 3A.

That's what I have. You can conduct online research, and I did rigorously, but I quickly discovered that the Internet fortunately is still not as smart as my specialists at Perelman Center for Advanced Studies. Every aspect of my treatment impressed and reinforced my decision to choose the University of Pennsylvania Health System

Here's why.

When was the last time a physician asked you how you prefer to learn? Beginning with Tahamtan Ahmadi, MD, Oncolocy Fellow (past residency and now specializing), I was given the preference of medical discovery in my learning style. As a teacher, I totally understand the value of pitching to a learning modality, but was surprised to find that level of delivery in the medical field. Bravo!
"Would you like me to deliver my spiel, or would you prefer to ask me your questions first"? What a tag team! Being given choices counts with me, since I have grown up surrounded by specialty physicians in my neighborhood. Finding that same compasssion and concern, especially at a large facility in a larger city exceeded my expectations as Dr. Nasta greeted my husband and me as treatment sharers. Despite the expansiveness of the facility, I felt like I had returned to my childhood roots, where you could go next door and have tea, treatment, wonderful conversations, and confidence in your returning wellness.
Does your treatment facility have state-of-the art equipment? Why be referred to a cancer center that has the best diagnostic and treatment equipment when you can begin beating back cancer from the beginning by betting with the best.
What awards and accolades has your treatment center achieved? Is it wrong to want the best. Cancer care is a competitive industry and each strong facility has a piece of the market share. So, for me it comes down to ratings, rankings, research, and survivorship. And the doctors.
Are your doctors at the top of their specialty? Don't be a passenger in your life; be the bulldozer. Make your choices carefully, and then make sure the fit is good. Mine are, and in working toward longevity, that means everything.
Is your cancer center connected to a University Medical School? Field research and clinical trials are important to my decision-making. If need be, I will be a risk-taker. When life is the endgame, I want to be on the cutting edge, before the edge is cut. And should all else fail, I want to be positioned in a place that can look at advanced medicine alternatives.

Like so many people, my father was not so lucky. He did not get a life sentence, but we did manage to give him two years he might not have lived had I not done research at UPenn's biomedical library. Throughout my life, my father was my anchor, a strict but loving parent, someone I would forever miss. As I watched his life wane, I knew that should my time come when I would have to beat cancer back, I would learn from the choices he did not make.

I think I have. But then, I got a life sentence.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Betting with the Best

When life moves off the track you know to unfamiliar terrain, betting with the best is the only way to go. Research, deliberate, and then insist on the best. Following my own advice, I have carefully selected my caregivers and I have been well pleased, not an easy place to achieve with my acute standards. For those of you who are familiar with the University of Penns ylvania Health System, I am in the West Pavilion in Penn Medicine Center. This wing locates me as a cancer patient, and someone who is interested in exploring traditional and alternative treatments, including clinical trials and experimental therapies, if deemed necessary. Specifically, my husband and I are in the Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, meeting with Sunita Nasta, MD, an oncology-hematology specialist with interests in Non-/Hodgkins Lymphoma, Leukemia, and Bone Marrow Transplants.

The University of Pennsylvania has a long and well-established history as forerunners and innovators in medical science at all levels or medical care. William Pepper, Jr., MD (1843-1898), the third in the family line of physicians in the early history of the hospital, spearheaded major early development and expansion. A Laboratory of Hygiene, the University Library, University Museum, William Pepper Laboratory of Clinical Medicine, Veterinary School, Wharton School of Business and Commerce, School of Nursing, ad Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, as well as several expansions of the hospital occurred under his spirited creation.

A milestone in radiology, including the world's first X-ray, produced here in 1890, as well as a leader in radiation oncology, cancer care and cures, and nursing education and excellence, the University of Pennsylvania Medical Health System is simply the best. That's why I am HERE. I want the best facility, the best physicians, the best equipment, the best treatment! It is critical in your diagnosis, treatment, and cancer care to make informed choices. Decide criteria for what constitutes best for you. That could include simply wanting the best diagnostician, surgeon, hematologist, radiologist, oncologist, but best includes a wide array of other emotional factors. My comfort zone one year ago centered in a small country hospital with the best compassionate care. Many physicians also practiced at a larger city hospital, but dedicated a smaller practice to my area of rural America, so I had the best of both worlds. Best may be a collaborative doctor who engages you in decision-marking (always my choice), or you may prefer a medical professional who directs your treatment with minimal input from you, perhaps making your journey just a bit less stressful. Best is individual, relative, and always your perception, so bet on your best.