About the award: The Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Program is currently accepting nominations for the 2017 Michael Kamin Hart Award. This award is offered annually in memory of Michael, a young man previously diagnosed with lymphoma and recognizes an employee or volunteer at The Princess Margaret who has had an exceptional impact on the experience and care of an AYA patient (ages 39 and under).
I know I've written about Dr. Amir here before, and how much I admire him and how grateful I am to him for his care.
Here is my nomination! It was pretty easy to write and only had to be 100-500 words. The award ceremony is April 3rd.
____
I am nominating Dr. Eitan Amir for the Micheal Kamin Hart Award, for excellence in
AYA oncology care. Dr. Amir was my medical oncologist from June 2016 to
December 2016, when I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.
A cancer diagnosis is difficult for anyone at any age, however, being 38 and having
recently seen my cousin pass away before age 40 of cancer, I was extremely
concerned and anxious to act quickly to fight this disease. I met with Dr. Amir on
June 16th and he and his team were exceptional in explaining the type of chemo
regime that I would need to do, the possible side effects and what outcome we
would strive for together. One of the first things he said in that initial meeting is
that we want me to “live another 40 years.” He immediately “got” me, and my
fears of having my life cut short. I felt confident Dr. Amir could help me. We
started chemo the very next week.
At every checkup, my questions or concerns were addressed in a respectful and
thoughtful manner, and he showed genuine concern for me as a patient. As any
chemo patient knows, it is a long and difficult physical, emotional and mental
journey, and when I asked for a one week break halfway through when the drugs
switched, to go to a cottage with my spouse, Dr. Amir was very supportive and said
“quality of life is very important.” Those words really resonated with me at the time
and I think of it often to this day.
Dr. Amir showed that he had compassion as a doctor, and genuinely wanted me to
succeed. Even after the first chemo my lump started shrinking, and as the weeks
went by it could no longer be felt. He was genuinely happy for us that I was having
such an excellent response, and I felt like he was a cheerleader on my team. The
chemo regime he setup for me worked perfectly and at surgery it was determined I
had a pathological complete response.
How do you thank someone enough for saving your life? I don’t think it is possible,
but this is one way for me to acknowledge my heartfelt appreciation for this
amazing doctor, who is a leader in his field, who cares for his patients and their
outcomes, who strives to innovate (as I know research is one of his key priorities)
and who is compassionate, respectful and kind. I can’t say enough how much I
admire Dr. Amir. In my experience as his patient, he is worthy of this award.
thank you for your consideration,
Jennifer
No comments:
Post a Comment