I was raised in the Catholic Church. The solemn, reserved, respectful quiet as the priest whispered out his occasional reverent chants. That’s what I knew. That was the only thing I grew to love of the Catholic faith. This friend of mine. We met …
Category: Oncology/Hematology
The unlikely friendship between a young doctor and an elderly scholar
He is 75 years old, and I am 30. Wondering how we met? It was a very casual meeting in a park. I live in a four-story building with numerous flats. There is a long walking and jogging track and a playground in front of my building. On the opposite side…
A patient gave me the best gift of my life
I’m at a loss for words—how can someone give something so beautiful to a complete stranger who is nothing more than a doctor? I first met him a year ago when he was referred to us by the neurosurgery department following his brain tumor surgery. …
The heartbreaking reality of smoking: a daughter’s final goodbye
Fred was the cool guy. Back in the 1950s and 60s, smoking cigarettes was considered movie star quality. That circling of smoke in his parked car with the girl of his dreams. He started smoking at the tender age of 15. Fred had it figured out. Cigarette…
Closing the colorectal cancer screening gap: the need for clear guidance on the use of new screening options
As a practicing gastroenterologist, I never want to say to a patient: “You have advanced colon cancer.” Just last week, I discovered an early colon cancer in an asymptomatic patient who was referred to me after a positive result on a non-in…
An inspirational journey through chemotherapy and immunotherapy [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Join Deborah C. Smith, a nurse who shares her courageous battle with T-cell lymphocytic leukemia and aplastic anemia. Diagnosed in 2017, Deborah navigated extreme fatigue,…
When a patient’s story hits close to home: a doctor’s emotional journey
It had been a busy day. He was the last patient of the day. In the oncology outpatient department, we have forms for documenting a patient’s medical history. The form has specific sections that need to be filled out in a set order. First, we star…
AI and empathy: Transforming cancer patient support [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Join us in this insightful episode as we sit down with Isabelle Tran, a medical student and writer, to explore the intersection of technology and health. Inspired by her p…
From devotion to despair: a teacher’s fight against glioblastoma
He was only 31 years old. He had a beard and was a very tall and incredibly handsome man. He was a teacher who used to teach the Holy Quran to young children in a faraway village in Punjab. He used to offer his prayers regularly. He did not go to schoo…
Challenging the legal barriers of cross-state telemedicine [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Join radiation oncologists Shannon MacDonald and Sean McBride as they delve into the evolving landscape of telemedicine in oncology. They discuss the significant improveme…
