This has to be one of my favorite photos that I took of Mattie and Peter. It was taken in March of 2003. We were visiting my parents in LA and we took Mattie to the LA Zoo. At the Zoo there was a bank of bamboo that Mattie found fascinating. I am not sure Peter knew what Mattie was doing behind him. Peter was looking for shade, but while Peter had that objective, Mattie had another!
Quote of the day: You feel fine, and then, when your body can't keep fighting, you don't. ~ Nicholas Sparks
It has been a non-stop day! This morning Peter and I had a conference call with Dr. Peter Adamson. Dr. Adamson is the chair of the Children's Oncology Group (COG), a clinical trials group supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to pediatric cancer research. Dr. Adamson was also recently appointed by President Obama to the National Cancer Advisory Board. So in essence he is considered a major leader in the field of pediatric oncology. We reach out to him today because we want COG's support of the Psychosocial Standards. It is important to have COG's support because they guide the majority of thinking and research in the field. Though we haven't received an official quote of support yet, I am happy to report that COG will support the standards that were developed and published in December. That is a huge achievement.
Recently I went out with one of Peter's colleagues from Canada, who is a medical doctor. He told us that the Hippocratic oath is to cure sometimes, treat often and care always. So in essence, CURE, COMFORT, and CARE. Yet in our opinion medicine has forgotten about comfort and care. Instead, the focus is solely on the cure and when a cure isn't possible, well watch out. Chaos will erupt because the system isn't programmed to manage, cope, or support patients and families along the journey of a health crisis. I love the three C's and it has become my new mantra. A mantra that we have been stating all along.... comprehensive cancer care must include psychosocial care (the care and comfort). It this is a language doctors understand, then in my opinion we have to remind them of the oath they took when becoming a doctor.
After the phone call, I then had a full day at Georgetown Hospital. After meetings there, I had the opportunity to visit with my niece and sister-in-law who were in town touring the University as a potential school for my niece. It is always interesting to see the campus through another generation's eyes!
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