I will never forget that blood-curdling
scream that pierces through the house in
the middle of the night imagine the
terror I experienced as a mother
sprinting to my seven-year-olds bedside
to find her doubled over clutching her
knee in excruciating pain
I immediately go into mommy triage mode
did she tear something in gymnastics
break a bone and the question I won’t
dare ask twice can this be cancer all I
know my baby Ava is suffering and I do
not know the reason why weeks later
she’s diagnosed with an uncommon
autoimmune disease called juvenile
idiopathic arthritis a condition that
attacks the joints in accordance with
arthritis foundation publications
300,000 children in the United States
are afflicted with this chronic disease
to stabilize her health it becomes my
personal and uncompromising mission to
establish a strong patient-physician
relationship with her pediatric
rheumatologist advocating as a team is
the reason my now 12 year old is an
absolute pitbull on the soccer field
between us I actually love that part of
her personality but don’t tell her it’s
Ava’s illness unfortunately was not the
first serious diagnosis in our family in
1974 at 27 years old my father was told
he had stage 4 non-hodgkins lymphoma the
prognosis less than six months to live
he was married to my mother less than
three years
and they had my two-year-old brother
thankfully he had a caring family
physician who advocated for him
connecting him with the chief of
oncology at an academic hospital
fortunately the oncologist considered my
father a candidate for an aggressive
clinical trial he was treated with
intensive experimental chemotherapy
drugs sterility was one of the expected
side-effects and yours truly should not
even be here today my father is alive
today and almost 72 because he trusted
and partnered with his doctors not only
almost 40 years later history would
repeat itself now it was my turn it
began with a proverbial dreaded phone
call of biopsy results of my left ear
Tiffany you have a stage two melanoma as
a 37 year old mother of three I did not
know what to do or where to turn my
dermatologist referred me to a highly
skilled plastic surgeon point noted once
again just like with my father having a
strong and trusting relationship with
your doctor can save your life within
one week I went from cancer diagnosis to
curative surgery because my doctors and
I partner together my ear is intact and
the tumor did not spread to my brain
when I tell people about my family’s
medical challenges I’m often told we are
lucky and I agree think about it my
father and I both beat the second
leading cause of death in the United
States cancer behind heart disease
but until I started learning about
healthcare I did not realize what the
third leading cause of death is medical
errors depending on the study 200 to 400
thousand lives are lost annually due to
medical errors in 2014 the Journal of
patient safety published the silent
killer takes 400,000 lives every year
this equates to two 747s crashing and
killing everyone on board every day of
the year this silent killer cannot be
treated with medication or cured with
surgery but it can be stopped as
reported by Fast Company magazine in
2015
women make eighty percent of the family
health care decisions women are
responsible for selecting the doctors
and choosing the hospitals our families
depend on us to understand the
challenges surrounding medical errors
communication breakdowns a lack of trust
between patients and physicians and
faulty hospital processes can contribute
to medical errors as powerful women with
grit it is up to us to work on this
problem and demand better for our
families two important tools I use to
navigate the health care system to keep
my loved ones safe from harm are one an
open and trusting relationship with your
doctor and two acting as a powerful
advocate find a doctor who listens to
you like my father’s oncologist find a
doctor who is accessible through email
text and cell phone like my daughters
pediatric rheumatologist find a doctor
who believes in shared decision-making
like my dermatologist and plastic
surgeon this is how we will tackle the
third leading cause of death and
decrease the occurrences of medical
errors two years ago the unwelcome
visitor returned cancer striking again
just over a year after my mother beat
breast cancer only this time it was not
my skin it was my thyroid during my
annual physical with my family medical
doctor I advocated for myself shifting
the focus to my thyroid because I had
concerns she told me my thyroid looked
and felt slightly enlarged thankfully my
doctor was aggressive and sent me for an
ultrasound days later a biopsy for a
suspicious nodule I scheduled these
tests promptly after the biopsy I
received the call from my doctor hearing
the devastating news brought me to my
knees I had beaten cancer once before
but this time I am more petrified for my
kids will I beat this my trusted
physician guided me to an amazing
surgeon skillfully he performed my
thyroidectomy and put me back on the
path to being cancer-free how my family
doctor my in jerkin ologist and my
surgeon partnered with me to restore my
after surgery my surgeon cleared me to
go home just before discharge I felt a
subtle tingling sensation in my hands I
spoke up the medical team assured me it
was normal after surgery and was sent
home after further instruction without
further instruction this was the moment
I should have been listened to but I
failed to speak up more forcefully and
advocate for myself had I been more
persistent possibly readmission could
have been prevented the next day the
tingling spread from my face to my neck
this can be an expected complication
from decreased calcium levels I had to
go back to the emergency room then
readmitted when communication breaks
down it leaves the door open for medical
errors preventable hospital readmissions
an unintended harm I am grateful for the
care that I received while I was in the
hospital but I cannot overemphasize the
importance of effective communication
I’ve learned a powerful phrase I do not
feel I am being listened to and need
some clarity respectfully I want you to
use this phrase to gain the attention of
any healthcare provider appearing rushed
or distracted let me see it again I do
not feel I am being listened to and need
some clarity from my experiences about
advocating I have learned do advocate
for yourself this is your health do
bring concerns to your doctor as I did
my thyroid do scheduled tests and exams
promptly with your physicians as I did
with my ultrasound in biopsy this is how
we will tackle the third leading cause
of death decrease the occurrences of
my parents survivorship my beating
cancer twice and my daughter overcoming
juvenile idiopathic arthritis has taught
me so much about the resiliency of the
human spirit as powerful women I’m
asking you to join me in tackling the
third leading cause of death with grit
win the fight by establishing strong
patient-physician relationships with
your doctors and become powerful
advocates for your families remembering
these two vital tools may just save your
life one day as they have saved mine
twice I know we are the ones to bring
the momentum of change so what are we
waiting for
thank you [Applause]
scream that pierces through the house in
the middle of the night imagine the
terror I experienced as a mother
sprinting to my seven-year-olds bedside
to find her doubled over clutching her
knee in excruciating pain
I immediately go into mommy triage mode
did she tear something in gymnastics
break a bone and the question I won’t
dare ask twice can this be cancer all I
know my baby Ava is suffering and I do
not know the reason why weeks later
she’s diagnosed with an uncommon
autoimmune disease called juvenile
idiopathic arthritis a condition that
attacks the joints in accordance with
arthritis foundation publications
300,000 children in the United States
are afflicted with this chronic disease
to stabilize her health it becomes my
personal and uncompromising mission to
establish a strong patient-physician
relationship with her pediatric
rheumatologist advocating as a team is
the reason my now 12 year old is an
absolute pitbull on the soccer field
between us I actually love that part of
her personality but don’t tell her it’s
Ava’s illness unfortunately was not the
first serious diagnosis in our family in
1974 at 27 years old my father was told
he had stage 4 non-hodgkins lymphoma the
prognosis less than six months to live
he was married to my mother less than
three years
and they had my two-year-old brother
thankfully he had a caring family
physician who advocated for him
connecting him with the chief of
oncology at an academic hospital
fortunately the oncologist considered my
father a candidate for an aggressive
clinical trial he was treated with
intensive experimental chemotherapy
drugs sterility was one of the expected
side-effects and yours truly should not
even be here today my father is alive
today and almost 72 because he trusted
and partnered with his doctors not only
almost 40 years later history would
repeat itself now it was my turn it
began with a proverbial dreaded phone
call of biopsy results of my left ear
Tiffany you have a stage two melanoma as
a 37 year old mother of three I did not
know what to do or where to turn my
dermatologist referred me to a highly
skilled plastic surgeon point noted once
again just like with my father having a
strong and trusting relationship with
your doctor can save your life within
one week I went from cancer diagnosis to
curative surgery because my doctors and
I partner together my ear is intact and
the tumor did not spread to my brain
when I tell people about my family’s
medical challenges I’m often told we are
lucky and I agree think about it my
father and I both beat the second
leading cause of death in the United
States cancer behind heart disease
but until I started learning about
healthcare I did not realize what the
third leading cause of death is medical
errors depending on the study 200 to 400
thousand lives are lost annually due to
medical errors in 2014 the Journal of
patient safety published the silent
killer takes 400,000 lives every year
this equates to two 747s crashing and
killing everyone on board every day of
the year this silent killer cannot be
treated with medication or cured with
surgery but it can be stopped as
reported by Fast Company magazine in
2015
women make eighty percent of the family
health care decisions women are
responsible for selecting the doctors
and choosing the hospitals our families
depend on us to understand the
challenges surrounding medical errors
communication breakdowns a lack of trust
between patients and physicians and
faulty hospital processes can contribute
to medical errors as powerful women with
grit it is up to us to work on this
problem and demand better for our
families two important tools I use to
navigate the health care system to keep
my loved ones safe from harm are one an
open and trusting relationship with your
doctor and two acting as a powerful
advocate find a doctor who listens to
you like my father’s oncologist find a
doctor who is accessible through email
text and cell phone like my daughters
pediatric rheumatologist find a doctor
who believes in shared decision-making
like my dermatologist and plastic
surgeon this is how we will tackle the
third leading cause of death and
decrease the occurrences of medical
errors two years ago the unwelcome
visitor returned cancer striking again
just over a year after my mother beat
breast cancer only this time it was not
my skin it was my thyroid during my
annual physical with my family medical
doctor I advocated for myself shifting
the focus to my thyroid because I had
concerns she told me my thyroid looked
and felt slightly enlarged thankfully my
doctor was aggressive and sent me for an
ultrasound days later a biopsy for a
suspicious nodule I scheduled these
tests promptly after the biopsy I
received the call from my doctor hearing
the devastating news brought me to my
knees I had beaten cancer once before
but this time I am more petrified for my
kids will I beat this my trusted
physician guided me to an amazing
surgeon skillfully he performed my
thyroidectomy and put me back on the
path to being cancer-free how my family
doctor my in jerkin ologist and my
surgeon partnered with me to restore my
after surgery my surgeon cleared me to
go home just before discharge I felt a
subtle tingling sensation in my hands I
spoke up the medical team assured me it
was normal after surgery and was sent
home after further instruction without
further instruction this was the moment
I should have been listened to but I
failed to speak up more forcefully and
advocate for myself had I been more
persistent possibly readmission could
have been prevented the next day the
tingling spread from my face to my neck
this can be an expected complication
from decreased calcium levels I had to
go back to the emergency room then
readmitted when communication breaks
down it leaves the door open for medical
errors preventable hospital readmissions
an unintended harm I am grateful for the
care that I received while I was in the
hospital but I cannot overemphasize the
importance of effective communication
I’ve learned a powerful phrase I do not
feel I am being listened to and need
some clarity respectfully I want you to
use this phrase to gain the attention of
any healthcare provider appearing rushed
or distracted let me see it again I do
not feel I am being listened to and need
some clarity from my experiences about
advocating I have learned do advocate
for yourself this is your health do
bring concerns to your doctor as I did
my thyroid do scheduled tests and exams
promptly with your physicians as I did
with my ultrasound in biopsy this is how
we will tackle the third leading cause
of death decrease the occurrences of
my parents survivorship my beating
cancer twice and my daughter overcoming
juvenile idiopathic arthritis has taught
me so much about the resiliency of the
human spirit as powerful women I’m
asking you to join me in tackling the
third leading cause of death with grit
win the fight by establishing strong
patient-physician relationships with
your doctors and become powerful
advocates for your families remembering
these two vital tools may just save your
life one day as they have saved mine
twice I know we are the ones to bring
the momentum of change so what are we
waiting for
thank you [Applause]
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