I’m a board-certified OB/GYN with a fellowship in anti-aging and functional medicine. After transitioning from OB/GYN to practicing in wellness programs, I became ill. I was diagnosed with a rare cancer. On my first appointment at a major cancer center, I was told to call my family and that I would probably survive about one month. Eight years and a long list of treatments later, I am in complete remission. I feel well.
I’m a doctor, a patient, and a cancer survivor. I am now in a unique position to empathize with, advocate for, and medically support patients. Without my ability to understand and participate in medical decisions during my eight-year journey, I know I would not have survived. The one-month prediction, had I accepted it, could have become a reality.
Most patients do not have this advantage. Patients and their families listen to experts and react to the expectations they are given. Certainly, no one is in complete control of the outcome of this devastating illness. Sometimes, however, we can affect the outcome. When we cannot, we can still make beneficial decisions to give ourselves a better quality of life.
I hope to help patients prevent illness, including cancer, and to support patients along the journey. This means involvement and decisions about treatment, hopefully with support during recovery and remission. When patients are anxious, much of the information they are given cannot be digested, and important questions are not asked. Additionally, when patients’ treatments are completed, many are left to navigate their concerns alone, such as diet, supplements, exercise, sleep, and more.
Multiple treatments left me bald, and I was anxious to find a wig store that could help me find the best human hair wigs in Miami for my specific needs. I had blonde, naturally curly hair, and I knew finding natural hair wigs of that type would be difficult. I made several consultation appointments with various wig stores in Miami. The first one I went to was Paula’s Wig Boutique. I was greeted with such kindness, understanding, and expertise, which made me feel safe and well looked after. It’s a very important purchase, and so much about your confidence is wrapped up in your hair and how you look. When you can look and feel like yourself, you can begin to recapture your confidence and sense of well-being. It’s true that when you look good, you feel good. Needless to say, I cancelled all my other consultation appointments. I knew I had found the right place.
After eight years of chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, tubes in my gallbladder and lungs, three years of IV nutrition, pacemaker, and port placement, amongst several other treatments, I feel that there is a reason that I’m here. It is to help others, both medically and emotionally, along their paths.
