Disqus – KathrynTerry

NIH's, protocals. I have done 4 for Hodgkins, Lymphomas relapse, Ovarian borderline,and myelodysplastic Syndrome, and The life saving Bone Marrow Trantsplant in 1997. God blessed America, life is good. I am so honored by having the best Doctors in the world. I am a 50 year old, very aware of NIH's programs. I am the product of NIH's many successes. As a long term champion, 30 years survivor-ship or let's call it thrivership, 5 cancers and several relapses, and bone marrow transplant, miracles happen here. How would you like to be treated by 12 of the best Oncologists in the world? What would you think of being afforded the privilege of being the 13 member of your own team of renowned specialist's the brightest and the best. Meaning you get to cite research or contribute to the current protocol with insights, suggestions and contribute to humanity for free? How would you feel when they fly in a specialist from Italy, for a second opinion on your biopsy's of a relapsed cancer? Well Friday March 20th 2009, I will be celebrating my 48th birthday. At 18 years old I was a goner, huge cancerous mass in my chest, cancer in my neck, and the lymph glands under both arms. I was dying. I had the cancers B symptoms night sweats,wieghtloss, itching,and finally a massive tumor around my heart crushing both lungs. I was wheezing, and could barely breath. Dr. Feller's of Georgetown ( he was Nancy Regan's doctor for breast cancer) refer ed me to NIH in 1979, because I had no health insurance. A rarity at the time. If I had had health insurance I would be dead. At the time they had no successful protocol for my cancer. I know God holds me in the palm of his hand. Every nurse, doctor, technician, specialist's treats you better then your own family. A very " Rogerian emotional hugs abound." People work here because they want to improve the quality of life of every individual they can. 12 institutes address every malady of man. People do not work here for the money; they make about 1/2 to 1/3 of what they would make in the private sector. They work here for the mission. Because we are in a high COLA area; it really stands out that these people and their families staff, researcher's and Doctor's sacrifice time, money, and effort for the common good. Frequently the Doc's and researchers are on call 24/7 but are paid for what is a pittance of the lowest pay for a doctor whom is working 40 hours not 60 to 80+ hours a week. Now that I have multiple certificates in Management, let me give you the 411 on administration as , the Doctor's who come to work at NIH are called a" fellow "Doctor, you are your own secretary, transcriptions, project manager, job coach, full time student among other things. The sad thing about this ;in case studies; when mid management lost their Secretaries in the private sector, they lost something greater 70% of their productivity. Actually ,administration is bare bones skeletal; serving a 100,000 patients annually. Many top level executives know your only as good as your secretary or now administration assistant. It's a left brain, right brain thing. That's why most doctor's have awful handwriting; all their strengths are in the analytical department, not the oddly labeled executive functioning area. Writing, typing, filing etc. It is akin to asking me to paint the Celestine chapel like Michael Angelo, or asking Michael Angelo to do manual labor. These researchers, Doctor's have a Sisyphean task, where the man spends the day rolling a huge boulder up a mountain, to have it roll over him on the completion of his day. Kathryn.http://www.yelp.com/biz/national-institutes-of-health-bethesda#query:NIH