An Open Letter to All Doctors

When a patient complains of chronic pain and illness take them seriously.  When symptoms interfere with their life and keeps them from doing the things they love, believe them. When the effects of it all begins to change who they are, be there for them, listen to them and help them.

A doctor is conduit to knowledge, yes he has the education to interpret that knowledge and the skills to put that knowledge into practice, but when it comes right down to basics, he is the conduit.  He can not look at you and just know what your problem is.  He needs to order tests, perform examinations and gather information before he can make a diagnosis.  If that information gathering is clouded by preconceived notions, assumptions and prejudices then the road to a diagnosis and recovery will be fraught with problems.  Even worse, if fact finding and information gathering is impeded by a lack of empathy or an overabundance of pride, then recovery and wellness will be compromised.

Being a doctor means more than playing God, being right or being the one in charge.  Being a doctor means putting the best interests of your patient first.  It means taking the time to really listen, to get to the bottom of the issue.  It means leaving no stone unturned until you find a way to assist your patient to the highest level of wellness you can.  And if you can't, it means you help them find someone who can. If doing that means you have to admit you don't know everything than so be it.  Pride should not be a factor when searching for a diagnosis - your patient's well being is the only thing that truly matters.

Every patient that walks through your door is unique.  No two patients ever present with the exact same set of symptoms.  The reference ranges listed on lab reports are based on what 95% of the population should fall into.  But that leaves 5% of the population that will fall outside of those ranges.  With a world population of roughly 7 billion people, 5% is a pretty large number.  That means over 350 million people won't fit into the standard result reference range.  Please don't let lab results be your sole method of diagnosis.  

Rare diseases exist.  It's pretty simple, they exist.  Maybe you haven't ever dealt with it, or maybe you have never even heard of it; but that doesn't mean that your patient doesn't have it.  There are 7000 different rare diseases that impact 1 in 10 people.  The Global Genes Project estimates there are some 350 million people worldwide currently affected with a rare disease.  Isn't it interesting how that number pops up again.

Your patients are more than a number, a dollar sign or a set of symptoms.  They are a living, breathing person.  A person who loves and is loved.  A person who is struggling, scared, in pain, confused and so many other things. A person who just wants to be heard, understood and helped.  In the end, your humanity, your empathy and your understanding will do more to assist that patient onto the road to recovery than anything else you can do.  If you put those things first as part of your practice you will be a success as a doctor.

Fundraisers gearing up!

A wonderful family friend has approached all the Catholic high school principals in our area asking them to participate in a Loonies for Leah event.  The event could be a special dress down day, a "buy out" day where they get to pay money to get out of last period, or something else that they come up with.  She also reached out to the principles of our family of Catholic elementary schools asking them to participate somehow too.  As well, friends of hers have offered to have Loonies for Leah jars put at their businesses!  So I am creating a flyer type letter to have along side the jars and will be sending along copies of the business card I created encouraging people to come to the website.

A wonderful little girl named Gina from Leah's school will be selling her handmade crafts at a garage sale this weekend with the proceeds going towards the Minnesota trip.  God continues to bless us with wonderful friends and we are so thankful!

Everyone in the Niagara area, please keep June 16th available, my mother will be hosting a fundraiser garage sale, lemonade stand, Leah's Angels table and (possibly)BBQ.  If you have clutter lying around your house that you would like to donate towards this event, please let me know, I will pick it up or it can be dropped off at my house.  We will also be debuting these banners that I made at Vistaprint.ca  I LOVE that site!  :)

Planning, planning and more planning

Only a few short days since we found out Leah will be going to Minnesota to *fingers crossed!* finally get a diagnosis and so much is happening!

We are so blessed to already have a group of friends sign on to be my Dream Team - to give me ideas, contacts, tips, help and all sorts of skills to enable us to raise the necessary funds to get her there.

The finances associated with going to Minnesota are overwhelming.  Since Leah is an International Patient, they require....

"a  minimum deposit in the amount of $3,000 to $5,000 U.S. dollars is required at the time of registration, depending upon anticipated medical needs.  This amount represents neither the minimum nor maximum charge; it is a deposit toward services received."

Each time I take a peek at the online sites to check the flights and hotel costs our bank account cries a little bit.

So a fundraising blitz looks to be on our horizon.  I have spent the last couple of days drafting letters to doctors, Service Clubs, her school and local retailers, I have also created a dedicated Facebook page attached to this blog and today I am heading out to open a special bank account for her.  I've made contact with our Group Health Insurance Providers we have through work, and we both have some coverage for International Medical Care which is a big weight off our shoulders - as long as the Doctors and OHIP come through with the proper paperwork.

So all in all it looks like it will be an exceedingly busy summer for us so I am extra glad I don't have to work!

If anyone wants to volunteer to help out with any of our fundraising endeavours we would really appreciate it, or if you want to send fundraising ideas please pass them along.