Author: Carolyn Thomas

Small kindness – big impact

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 4 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥   Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky) 

A study published by Swiss researchers suggests that a culture of kindness in health care has a positive impact on healthcare organizations, healthcare staff, and – best of all! –  patients.(1)  If we’re very lucky, many of us already know those benefits because of our lived experience with kind healthcare professionals. One of my own favourite examples of a small kindness that left a huge impression was the cardiac nurse who trotted alongside my hospital gurney – from the Emergency Department to the elevator taking us up to the cardiac cath lab during my 2008 heart attack – with her hand gently resting on my shoulder all the way. She assured me: “You’re in the right place now. We’re going to take good care of you.”  If only every hospital patient was greeted that way. Continue reading “Small kindness – big impact” →

Quality of Life vs. Length of Life? Pick One.

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 9 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky) 

Even as a fairly new breast cancer patient (diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma on April 1st, 2025), I knew I’d likely choose quality of life (QoL) over length of life (LoL) after my diagnosis. Continue reading “Quality of Life vs. Length of Life? Pick One.” →

Are you “managing” your worst symptoms?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 8 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas     ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky) 

I recently quoted an editorial in The Lancet (a medical journal that’s been publishing for over 200 years). The editors were revisiting a subject that’s been niggling at me – and apparently many other patients – namely words matter in health care – especially blame-ridden language, whichThe Lancet describes as “pervasive throughout medicine.”(1)  And just this week, coincidentally, I experienced a bizarre phone conversation with a breast cancer nurse (who reminded me firsthand just how pervasive blame-the-patient attitudes can be). Continue reading “Are you “managing” your worst symptoms?” →

Everything happens for a reason – or does it?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 7 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas     ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky) 

I’m inhaling a terrific book this week, page by page, line by line – and I’m enthusiastically recommending this funny, heartbreaking, important book to anybody who has ever faced a serious diagnosis (no matter the medical condition).  The author is Kate Bowler and this book is called “Everything Happens for a Reason – And Other Lies I’ve Loved.”   

Kate turns out to be the perfect person to write a book with that kind of in-your-face title. At the time, she was a professor at Duke University’s Divinity School, specializing in the study of what’s known as the Prosperity Gospel. This is a creed that sees our good fortune as a blessing from God, but sees misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. Kate now calls this creed “a branch of Christianity that promises a cure for tragedy.”     .
Continue reading “Everything happens for a reason – or does it?” →