2012 - The Year of the Patient

I've been healthy all of my life. Oh sure, the typical things....wisdom teeth out, a little lasik eye surgery, and the natural birth of two wonderful boys. But that's it. Until now.

Imagine my shock when during my annual physical the results of my pap test came back not just abnormal, but CANCER abnormal. I got the call from my doctor on Halloween, just as I was about to board a plane. It felt like I was playing a scene in a movie, and in some respects it still does.

Throughout November, during a flurry of tests and procedures to determine exactly what I was facing, I began to understand the health care system from the REAL inside. You see, I've spent virtually my entire career working in health care. I know the good, the bad and the ugly. And while I always prided myself on having a "patient perspective," now I've got the real thing, first hand.

It is my hope that through this blog I can do a couple of things. First, chronicle my journey as therapy and to speed my journey to 100 percent recovery. Second, to give voice to the patient, who in this country still very much lacks the information, tools and control they so deserve to make the right choices for themselves and their families. And finally, to challenge to every reader to take control. Take control of your health, your body, your choices and your decisions. There's really nothing more important.