When faced with the challenge of a serious illness, one often feels out of control and at the mercy of the medical community, i.e., being told, in a nice way, this is what we are going to do to your body for the next six months. But so far I have come to appreciate all the choices I have – spiritually, emotionally, and physically – and now that I have had time to process the diagnosis and grieve, I can now move into a focused plan to heal and be as proactive as I can. But I can’t help worrying about women who frankly aren’t as resourceful as I am. Where is the healthcare industry when it comes to helping them make choices? Read more…

I am pretty sure I am not alone in this, but in my life I have done everything I can to avoid vomiting.  I hate it when your body takes control and you are at the mercy of a response to an illness or toxic substance.  So I was relieved when my oncologist told me that it was his goal to do everything in his control to keep me from throwing up during treatment.  He even went on to say that some doctors think he goes overboard prescribing medicine to take three days after treatment to keep from getting ill.  I say, “Go for it doc!  Don’t listen to those guys.”  In all seriousness, as a patient I hang on every word that somehow lets me know my care is not going to be ‘cookie cutter’ because I am not like everyone else. Read more…

On December 9^th I blogged about the extraordinary mammography experience I had.  The irony is that one month later I am moving headlong into a fight against breast cancer.  It has been both a blessing (detecting the cancer) and a curse (having it alter my life).  It would be easy and perhaps even understandable for me to curl up in a ball and hide for the next six months while I go through chemo, surgery and radiation, but that’s not me.  At least at this point I don’t think it is.  God has fortunately given me the ability to communicate, care passionately about how others are being treated, and help our clients see themselves through the patient’s eyes.  So this time I’m the patient.  I hope the experiences and observations I share in this blog will provide healthcare professionals with my unique inside perspective.  Brooke Billingsley

There have been a lot of blogs and journals written by patients describing their bouts with cancer.  This one is a little unique in that I hope to share my experience in a way that helps my healthcare colleagues think about what they do in the name of the patient experience.  Even though we have for years observed healthcare through healthcare mystery shopping and employee perception deep dives, this is first hand, replete with the anxiety, fear, and confusion associated with being a cancer patient. Read more…