• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Mighty Casey Media: Comedy Health Analyst

Stop screaming. Laughing hurts less.

  • Home
  • Work With Me
    • Rent My Brain
    • Got content?
    • Speaking
    • Presentation Coaching
    • Story Bank
    • Quick Start
  • My Story
  • My Work
    • Portfolio
    • Cancer for Christmas
  • Blog
  • Contact

"Cancer for Christmas"

“Patients included.” On ‘roids. In a good way.

October 10, 2013 by Mighty Casey 1 Comment

medicinex regina holliday painting

medicinex regina holliday painting

I had the great good fortune of being tagged as an ePatient Scholar for the 2013 edition of Stanford Medicine X. That allowed me to sit at the feet – literally, since the ePatients were the mosh-pit for the three day conference plenary stage – of some of the best and brightest minds in healthcare. And guess what? Many of those best/brightest were … PATIENTS.

patients included logo
(c) Lucien Engelen

MedicineX (a/k/a MedX and #medx) is the uber Patients Included medical conference. It grew from seeds planted at conferences like Health 2.0 and Patients 2.0, for which seeds-to-beautiful-flowers gardener credit goes to Dr. Larry Chu and his team from Stanford Anesthesiology AIM Lab, who seem to prestidigitate rabbits out of hats without breaking a sweat. Or the hats. Or the rabbits.

MedX – in my opinion, at least – trumps every other Patients Included event by not just including patients, but by putting them front and center throughout the program. In fact, I cannot think of a session that I attended that didn’t have someone who was there primarily as a customer of healthcare (commonly called “a patient”) on the platform, presenting or participating in a panel discussion.

My ePatient socks were knocked off from jump thanks to the opening keynote by Michael Seres and Marion O’Connor on “The New Engaged Patient,” which was the morning keynote on Friday. Michael uses his blog as his personal health record, up to and through a lifetime battle with Crohn’s disease that led to his becoming the 11th patient to ever receive a bowel transplant, and only the 6th to survive that transplant experience. Michael is hilarious, and Marion is exactly the sort of caring brainiac any patient would like bedside as s/he battled a life-threatening illness. Here’s the video of their session:

The rest of the day played out as a firehose of ePatient awesome, including the first presenter to bring me to tears: Sara Riggare, a brilliant woman who is, among many other things, an engineer and a Parkinson’s patient. During the panel discussion on “The Self-Tracking Patient,” and my (somewhat sobby) conversation with Sara afterward, was when I fully realized, even though I’d talked about it last year on one of my blogs, that I had been born an ePatient. Well, maybe not born, but them that brung me into the world also brought me to ePatient-cy. I felt my late father, whose Parkinson’s laid him low, and then to rest, over 10 years ago, standing by me as I listened to Sara talk about her own self-tracking and self-advocacy. My dad was a warrior – literally, a US Navy fighter pilot – and brought that warrior spirit to his battle with Parkinson’s. I’d like to think that Big Mike would be proud of the work I do today to bring sense, and sensibility, to the most human of all sciences: medicine. Here’s Sara on the main stage:

The Friday sessions ended with a “What If Healthcare …” panel discussion, conveniently tagged for the Twitter-verse as #whatifhc (click that link for a Symplur transcript of the conversation as it unfolded live). This session is the only one that pressed my buttons in a not-good way, and here’s why: there were a group of white-dude brainiacs, and one not-a-white-dude, on that panel. Don’t get me wrong, I like white dudes. Hell, I’ve married two of ’em (NOT at the same time!). But I found it sort of anachronistic that, as the “dream big” panel on the first day of a Patients Included medical conference on the campus of a major medical school (Stanford Med), the participants on that panel were so very white-dude, with the notable exception of healthcare artist/activist Regina Holliday. Regina herself mentioned the very-not-diverse makeup of the panel during the session. I made the observation on Twitter, as I listened to the panel’s conversation, that healthcare in the US is a great wealth-transfer system … but as a health-transfer system? Not so much. Here’s the first-look video of the session via the MedX YouTube channel:

Saturday opened with something for which I was utterly unprepared: hearing first-hand about the project that won the 2012 Intel ISEF Prize. Jack Andraka is the 16 year old kid from Baltimore who, at 13, decided that not having a reliable early-detection test for pancreatic cancer was a terrible thing. He resolved to create that test … and he did. It’s been patented in the US, and is in the process of being patented globally. Here’s the first-look video of his hilarious and inspiring call to action for open science:

Frankly, I count hearing that talk, and meeting Jack later that day at the MedX reception on the Dean’s Lawn, as the highest high point of my MedX experience. I told Jack that I couldn’t wait to see what he did next, but that even if he decided to rest on his uber-science-geek laurels with his mesothelin discovery, he’d given a gift to humanity unlike any other since Jonas Salk. Visit his website to keep track of this approachable, funny, huge-hearted young man who has the mind of a god.

The other big high of my MedX time was finally – FINALLY – being in the room with all three of the women who birthed #BCSM, one of the most powerful healthcare communities on Twitter. My ePatient journey may have been started by the voyage with my parents through their health issues, but it was forged into hardened steel by my own breast cancer experience. Connecting with Alicia Staley was one of the things that helped turn my book, Cancer for Christmas, into an Amazon bestseller in ’09. I spent much of the conference touching base with the #BCSM crew, who were in attendance in force at MedX. It was #BCSM Summer Camp!

The conference closed on Sunday with a keynote by Vinod Khosla, “2025: 20% Doctor Included?” Khosla’s viewpoint – which I share – is that technology will provide more reliable and efficient diagnostic tools, removing the mis-diagnosis risk that leads to most medical errors. He also stated that transformation of the healthcare system will not happen from within. Khosla backed up his positions with evidence, and I was nodding so hard in agreement I risked whiplash. It was the perfect close for the epic firehose of forward-thinking that was MedX 2013. Here’s the first-look video of Khosla’s talk:

What will I remember most about my MedX experience? I’ve listed some of it above, but even as I write this post I realize how much more mental food was served up during those three days. There were the conversations that happened over coffee, during lunch, with a frosty beverage in the Sheraton bar. I met people I’d known online for years, but had not had the opportunity to hug and thank for the impact they’d had on my life until MedX put us in the same room.

The Honor Roll there (in totally random order):

  • Jody Schoger
  • Dr. Alan Greene
  • Thomas Lee and Audun Utengen, the men behind Symplur
  • Gilles Frydman and Roni Zeiger of Smart Patients
  • Dr. Bryan Vartabedian
  • Katie McCurdy (who’s written a great MedX post you can read here)
  • Dr. Rafael Grossmann
  • Carla Berg Nelson
  • Dr. Deanna Attai
  • Dr. Leslie Kernisan

The list of people who I had not known before MedX, and who literally blew me away with their heart and insight? Here’s another random list:

  • Joe Riffe
  • Emily Bradley (Emily wrote a penetrating piece on how chronic pain affected her MedX experience, read it here)
  • Erin Moore
  • Liza Bernstein
  • Spartacus. No, wait, CHRIS SNIDER. (I think Chris will get the joke there … )
  • Amir Dan Rubin – the CEO of Stanford Hospital & Clinics, his master class on quality improvement will inform my hospital-med journo work for years to come
  • Dr. Marc Katz (I hadda go to Silicon Valley to meet a terrific doc who practices down the street from me – go figure)
  • Terri Wingham
  • Dr. Berti Meskó
  • Brett Alder
  • Dr. Peggy Polaneczky
  • Emily Kramer-Golinkoff
  • Dr. Christian Assad
  • Denise Silber

And the amazeballs of awesome that is Zöe Chu:

zoe chu photo

What did I learn at MedX? I learned that there’s hope. Hope for healthcare, hope for humanity, and hope for every single person who winds up a patient (and hey, we’re all patients, right?). The key is that medicine is a team sport. It requires the full participation of everyone in every health-related transaction.

So pick up your ball, and let’s play together, shall we?

Filed Under: Find the funny, Healthcare, Social media, Storytelling, Technology Tagged With: "Cancer for Christmas", #medx, casey quinlan, comedy, disruptive women in health care, e-patients, health care, health care reform, Healthcare, healthcare costs, humor, mighty casey media, participatory medicine, Social media, Stanford Medicine X, technology

Oncology for Christmas (or the day after)

December 26, 2012 by Mighty Casey Leave a Comment

just-onco-imageI had the opportunity to be a guest on This Week in Oncology’s weekly web radio show with Dr. Richard Just and Gregg Masters.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Healthcare, Social media, Technology Tagged With: "Cancer for Christmas", cancer, chemotherapy, health care, health care reform, Healthcare, mighty casey media, Social media, Storytelling, technology

Healthcare a passion of yours? Win an award!

November 21, 2012 by Mighty Casey Leave a Comment

WEGO Awards logo

WEGO Awards logoWEGO Health is an online network of people from across the globe who use the internet and social media to connect around health and share health information.

WEGO calls us Health Activists, and they’ve  created a special awards program to recognize those Health Activists who are making a real difference in the online health community: click here to find out all about it. Health Activists are doctors, patients, caregivers, family members, any and all folks who care about their own health and the health of their families and communities.

I’ve signed up to be an Awards Ambassador – that means that I’m doing what I can to share the WEGO Health Activist Awards with my audience to make sure that all Health Activists are recognized for the efforts they make every day. Take a spin over to the nominations page and recognize your favorite health leaders. There is no limit to how many people you can nominate so make sure to recognize everyone that you follow, fan, or friend. WEGO Health has 12 different categories so everyone should fit somewhere!

Is there someone who inspires you to get and stay healthy? Is there someone whose online presence helps you  manage a chronic condition? Is there a healthcare professional in your life who has guided you, your family, or your community toward better health with their work on the web? Nominate ’em!

There is no limit to how many people you can nominate so make sure to recognize everyone that you follow, fan, or friend.  WEGO Health has 12 different categories, so there’s a slot fo any kind of online Health Activist!

So go on – NOMINATE!

Filed Under: Healthcare, Social media Tagged With: "Cancer for Christmas", chemotherapy, disruptive women in health care, e-patients, health care, Healthcare, Social media, Storytelling, technology, WEGO Health, WEGO Health Activist Awards

Did Warren Buffett really say THAT?

March 27, 2012 by Mighty Casey Leave a Comment

no-labels-movement

Well, it turns out he did.

What did he say? Hang on. I’ll get there in a sec.

First, I’ve been silent here for a while (holy crap, I haven’t posted since Jan. 31!) – my only excuse is that I’ve started blogging for clients, and ran out of words. Not really, but that’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.

Back to our programming already in progress: Did Warren Buffett really say THAT?

WHAT DID HE SAY?

Well, he said this (on CNBC in July last year), kids:

“I could end the deficit in 5 minutes. You just pass a  law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of  GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.”

no-labels-movement
No Labels. Not left. Not right. FORWARD.

Boo-yah! This is essentially what my buddies at No Labels have been saying since they released their 12-point plan to make Congress work back in December. #1-with-a-bullet of those 12 points is No Budget, No Pay. Which, by the way, had a subcommittee hearing earlier this month. Progress. It’s a game of inches, but we’re racking up those inches.

Speaking of fighting for inches, the healthcare reform act – or Obamacare, whatever your radio tells you that you should call the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – is in oral-arguments phase in front of the Supremes this week. I’m on record as thinking that this iteration of healthcare reform isn’t anything but an attempt at healthcare *payment* reform, but that’s not why I brought this up.

If you care about controlling healthcare costs – your own or anyone else’s – you must read e-Patient Dave deBronkart’s latest epic opus on what happens when a healthcare consumer tries to find out what something costs. The insurers don’t know, the hospitals sure as **** don’t know, so what’s a patient to do? Keep asking. Keep demanding answers. Keep it up until we all get healthcare to post its rates clearly, and in public.

I promise not to go quiet again. You can guarantee that by leaving a comment, or sharing this post.

Ready, set … GO!

Filed Under: Business, Entrepreneurs, Find the funny, Politics Tagged With: "Cancer for Christmas", casey quinlan, disruptive women in health care, e-patient dave, e-patients, health care, health care reform, Healthcare, media, mighty casey media, no labels, politics, Social media, warren buffett

My 15 Minutes…on BusinessWeek.com

February 24, 2009 by Mighty Casey 1 Comment

I had my 15 minutes of internet fame recently, with a "My Take" essay on BusinessWeek.com. To say that made my month would be an understatement!

Social media played a part in bringing me this opportunity. If you're not a believer in the power of the Holy Trinity of SM (Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook)…you need to be.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it…

Filed Under: Business, Healthcare, Social media, Storytelling Tagged With: "Cancer for Christmas", business week, cancer, casey quinlan, health care, survivor

Cancer for Christmas – One Year Later

December 26, 2008 by Leave a Comment

I had my annual mammogram this last Tuesday – remembering how last year’s formerly routine event wound up, to say I was a little nervous is a vast understatement.

Here’s the news: I’m now officially a survivor.

Looking back at the last 372 days, I have to say it’s been quite a ride. So many people have helped me, have lifted me up, have kept me from feeling that terrible aloneness that’s part of fighting a life-threatening disease.

‘Thank you’ sounds inadequate, but it comes from the deepest and most tender part of my heart.

I will finish the first draft of "Cancer for Christmas" by New Year’s Day. Then it’s on to finding an agent, a publisher, or – best of all possible worlds – both. I’ll be reaching out to Save the Tatas and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, offering them a piece of the cover price in exchange for helping promote the book once it’s published.

My goal is to help anyone in the fight – against cancer, or any other life-changing disease – navigate the medical car-wash and manage their medical care for their benefit.

Because if you don’t, no one else will.

2008 has been quite a journey. I’m in an incredibly wonderful place, which I don’t know that I would recognize had I not had my dance with the Cancer Troll.

2009 is already a mortal lock for my best year yet – I wish you the same!

Filed Under: Find the funny, Healthcare, Storytelling Tagged With: "Cancer for Christmas", cancer, gratitude

Next Page »

Before Footer

Subscribe

Health + Science snark delivered, fresh to your inbox!

Footer

My QR Code

My QR Code

Explore

  • Home
  • Activate the Mighty Mouth
  • Cancer for Christmas
  • Da Blog
  • Healthcare Is HILARIOUS!
  • My Story
  • Portfolio

Work With Me

  • Presentation Coaching
  • Right Care Alliance
  • Rent My Brain
  • Got content?
  • Story Bank
  • Quick Start
  • Speaking

Connect

Connect
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Mighty Casey Media © 2020

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

logo on white background with mighty casey media in block letters
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to provide the best user experience possible.Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Settings are yours to control.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

Cookie Policy

More information about our Cookie Policy