Patient Perspectives
Meet Vanessa
Vanessa is a 49 year old woman who was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. She had a bilateral mastectomy (both breasts removed) with reconstruction, chemotherapy and radiation, as well as ongoing hormone therapy. She is married with two teenage daughters. She works as a real estate professional. Her mother also had breast cancer in the last 5 years.
The first time I met with my oncologist, he said I was the captain. But I barely felt like a passenger on the cancer ship - definitely not the captain or even the crew. I felt like a number and at times I was disrespected, confused, and condescended to. I dealt with surgery complications, a great deal of uncertainty, a new body, side effects like pain, nausea, insomnia - all in the span of the longest year of my life.
The first time I talked to Dr. Francis, she told me I would have zigs and zags and more than a few road bumps. This image stuck with me. She prepared me for uncertainty, for curveballs, for the waiting and emptiness of not knowing and being afraid. She walked me through worst case and best-case scenarios which gave shape to my anxiety and a more realistic focus.
When I felt on my own, crazy or unable to get answers, even if she could not give exact answers, she could validate and give shape to worries - tighten them into questions or explorations for me to reflect on. She helped me to be prepared and armored up for when I did have time with my care team. Dr. Francis helped unlock how to get information from my care team by giving me language and terminology that my care team could relate to. She could translate my worries into practical questions or topics that I could ask my care team or explore on my own and with my loved ones. Over and over, she gave me tools and insight so I could advocate for myself and make peace to move forward.
Meet Jack
Jack is a 51-year-old male, a caregiver for his mother who had metastatic breast cancer, along with his father and 2 older brothers. Jack has a high power job in education and his own family including 2 teenage sons. Jack’s father was the primary caregiver at home and the three brothers lived out of town.
Dr. Francis was essential in our ability to collectively move forward and simultaneously let go in the last 6 months of my mother’s life. She advised on goals of care and end of life decision making and provided family consensus building.
There were times I felt we were not getting answers or explanations from the primary oncology team about what was going on with my mother, why she was having certain side effects or symptoms. We did not need exact answers, just acknowledgement. Dr. Francis filled a void by exploring why and giving space to uncertainty, even suggesting safe ways for us to consider self-management.
Because of Dr. Francis’ medical expertise and understanding of professional dynamics, she provided credibility to a perspective that needed to be heard by my mother, father and brothers, in order to move away from active treatment and towards quality of life.