November 2023
Shane
Stout
,
RN
Gastrointestinal Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston
,
TX
United States
One of the few things we can count on is that Shane will check and acknowledge messages in the morning, and later in the day, we will get an answer from the team. It may sound trivial, but for us, it is anything but, and it genuinely stands out.
My wife is battling pancreatic cancer. Of course, both of us are really in the fight, in our own ways. Needless to say, there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty and concern. There have been various regimens of treatment, an endless stream of tests and results, and a constant need for information. The oncologist made a great observation about improving the quantity and quality of life. That quality of life is tremendously impacted by the care and attention of the medical staff. My wife and I have very different needs for information - both in terms of amount and level of detail. My wife looks for constant reassurance and dialogue. MD Anderson uses MyChart extensively. We have had significant frustration with some teams where questions and concerns go for days without being addressed. I'm sure you can imagine the stress this adds when my wife is suffering from side effects and can't even get a response. Shane has been outstanding in this area. One of the few things we can count on is that Shane will check and acknowledge messages in the morning, and later in the day, we will get an answer from the team. It may sound trivial, but for us, it is anything but, and it genuinely stands out. That dialogue is a huge contributor to the quality of life. Shane is great when we see him in person, but the dialogue between visits, keeping things calm, and reducing stress, is really appreciated. It has also played a huge role in the interaction with the rest of the team. I can communicate on mindset and expectations, and the team has responded wonderfully. As my brother pointed out to me, having a medical team that actually listens and responds with exceptional behavior is really outstanding. We don't take that for granted.