Massachusetts hospital with the goal of specializing in oncology, cancer
care. A car accident and head injury ended that clinical career.
When I had healed enough to find a professional position again, my
husband Jeff and I thought about what had originally drawn me to
academic medicine---the urge to make a difference, the ability to explain
concepts clearly to colleagues and to people with no medical background
– and I found my way into medical publishing and patient education.
At the same time, I became involved with patient-led organizations such
as the Epilepsy Foundation and began to talk and write about medical
advocacy. My mistakes as a patient, being passive and afraid to ask for
a second opinion for fear of offending my first doctor, taught me that
medical knowledge does not make a smart patient, someone who can
identify the care they need and work effectively to get it.
It was a privilege to be the leadoff speaker for the 1997 opening plenary
session of the Epilepsy Foundation of America national meeting, which
focused on women’s issues that year.
After that meeting, I started speaking to various groups of people with
chronic illness and parents of children with medical issues, using my
story as an introduction to the concepts and skills of patient advocacy so
other people could get needed healthcare in a way that turns doctors and
other medical providers into teammates.
Over the years, I have talked to varying groups, some hundreds of
people in size, some I could count on two hands. I have also worked
with individuals who needed help to become effective representatives
for themselves or loved ones.
The Healing Woman website is the next step in offering what I’ve
learned through education, my personal experience, and the
experiences of many people who have shared their lives with me.
The goals of Healing Woman are twofold: to help people take owner-
ship of illness and health and to empower them with knowledge and
skills so they have as much control as possible over their bodies and
their lives. I hope people learn to make decisions they can live with
and know every day they are living as fully as possible.
Healing Woman is devoted to helping individuals heal spiritually,
mentally, and physically, as well as to helping the healing of families
and communities. This web site is not devoted only to women, however,
or even to humans.
Love is healing, whether given or received. Being needed pulls you out
of yourself, making you more helpful to others and easing your own
healing. My husband found that to be true when I was hurt, and I’ve
discovered it over the years working at home as a mother and with our
cats and dogs as companions.
