An article published in the Pittsburg Post Gazette teaches all of us about the importance of being actively involved and advocating for ourselves concerning our health care decisions and why we should never just roll over and give up.
The Gazette article is about a book, “Swimming Upstream: My Struggle and Triumph Over Cancer and Medical Establishment.” It tells a story of a physician, Sajjad Iqbal who struggled against the medical profession to reach a correct diagnosis and treatment of his cancer.
Despite his being a doctor himself, he found that he faced a life and death struggle not only against the mysterious and rare cancer but also against the patronizing and resistant physicians he encountered at every step in his uphill journey.
His book is well worth the read and holds many lessons for all of us.
Joel T. Nowak, MA, MSW wrote this Post. Joel is the CEO/Executive Director of Cancer ABCs. He is a Cancer Thriver diagnosed with five primary cancers - Thyroid, Metastatic Prostate, Renal, Melanoma, and Appendiceal Cancer, a rare cancer.
