Tag: Casey Quinlan

“We are all patients.” No, you’re not.

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 70 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

patientI read recently about a conference on breast reconstructive surgery following mastectomy, to which not one single Real Live Patient who had actually undergone breast reconstructive surgery following mastectomy was invited to participate. This is, sadly, yet another example of “Patients Excluded” health care conferences – in stark contrast to the growing number of notable conferences that have garnered the “Patients Included” designation.*

The result of attending a “Patients Excluded” conference is just as you might imagine: hundreds of people working in healthcare getting together to talk at each other about caring for people who aren’t even at the table. Or, as one physician arguing for  “Patients Excluded” conferences protested:

“I already hear patients’ stories all day long in our practice. Why should I have to listen to patients at my medical conferences?”

Continue reading ““We are all patients.” No, you’re not.” →

Finding the funny when the diagnosis isn’t

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 16 Comments
by Carolyn Thomas  ♥

Today, out of left field and with the kind permission of Disruptive Women in Health Care – where it was originally published by Casey Quinlan on November 23, 2011 – I’m revisiting the classic post she called: “Finding the Funny When the Diagnosis Isn’t”. 

NOTE:   Sadly, “Mighty Casey” died on April 25, 2023 from a recurrence of metastatic breast cancer.  Her wonderful tribute published in the Journal of Participatory Medicine is a must-read. And here’s what she wrote about humor in “Finding the Funny When the Diagnosis Isn’t”: 

“It’s not easy hearing your name and [insert dread diagnosis here]. I know this only too well after having to find the funny in my own journey through cancer. Cancer is, however, most often a diagnosis that you fight to a defined end. What’s it like to find the funny in a chronic condition?

“I have a number of friends who are battling MS, one of whom, Amy Gurowitz, shared a link on Facebook the other day to Jim Sweeney’s online empire of improv humor and chronic disease. Jim’s MS journey started with vision problems in 1985, he was officially diagnosed in 1990, and has been dealing with the disease – finding the funny most of the time – ever since. Continue reading “Finding the funny when the diagnosis isn’t” →