Intro Opening slide
The guy on the right of
this picture, Doug, will
look a lot different in 9
months. His diagnosis of
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
will make him thinner. It is
almost enough to make
you wonder how much of
a difference 9 months can
really make. It also can
make you wonder how
much of a difference being
diagnosed at one hospital
can make versus the
diagnosis coming from
another hospital. This
picture was taken in
October 2005 on Senior
Night for the Marching
Band.( 1) 26 sec
This is Doug about a
month after he left The
University of Chicago
Comer Children’s Hospital.
In this picture the left side
of his face is swollen, and
he still has his port in his
chest for his last few doses
of chemotherapy. His hair
is blue because he thought
that it was going to fall out
a side effect of his
chemotherapy is the loss
of hair. He never lost his
hair, and his mom made
him shave his lovely blue
locks of hair off a few
weeks later.( 2)53 sec
This is him before he went
to his high school
graduation ceremony. Yes,
I know. He isn’t pleasant
to look at. He was still
thinner than usual, even
with taking the steroids
his doctors at Comer
Children’s Hospital
prescribed him. This is him
almost 9 months from the
day that picture of me,
him, and Josh was taken
on Senior Night. In this
picture he is about 2
months removed from
being hospitalized with
Non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma.(3) 1 min 18
sec
Doug was in remission by May of
2006. When his birthday rolled
around in October, we decided he
needed to have a party so that we
could celebrate both his birthday
as well as celebrate his Non-
Hodgkin’s lymphoma successfully
being in remission.(4) 1 min 33 sec
A few weeks after Doug’s birthday
party, he was back in the
University of Chicago Comer
Children's Hospital, where he had
been 6 months prior to begin his
treatment of lymphoma. Doug’s
condition deteriorated quickly,
due to histoplasmosis, which had
mimicked his cancer symptoms to
a T. 1 min 52 sec
The white circles in this picture are
brain lesions caused by
histoplasmosis. These lesions
rendered Doug brain dead not
long after Christmas 2006.
Perhaps if he had started with
Comer Children’s Hospital he
would not have had to wait so
long to start his treatment. But
sometimes a person’s illness is
caught early so that it can be
treated right away.(5) 2 min 13 sec
As an example, in
September 2006, Boston
Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester
was diagnosed with Non-
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He
underwent chemotherapy
treatment to cure his
lymphoma at
Massachusetts General
Hospital in Boston, as
reported by the Boston
Globe. He went straight to
a hospital that had the
capabilities to start his
treatment, rather than let
him lay in a bed waiting to
be transferred somewhere
else to start his treatment
as they did with my friend
Doug.(6) 2 min 30 sec
“Can Jon Lester shut down the
Yankees explosive lineup?”
Jim McIsaac
Getty Images
www.fannation.com/si_blog
November 15, 2010
Then on May 19, 2008, Jon
Lester threw a no-hitter
against the Kansas City
Royals, as reported by the
Associated Press. But it
was much more special for
Jon Lester, as his
comeback from cancer
was now complete. (7) 2
min 41 sec
bostonredsoxgirl46
redsoxgirl46.mlblogs.com
November 15, 2010
Regardless of where you go to see
a doctor, sometimes it’s too late
for anything to be done. It is my
hope that with Doug’s story and
showing you what being at the
right hospital can really do, it can
change how quickly you decide to
get treatment. Maybe if Doug
would have been sent to Comer
Children’s Hospital right away to
get diagnosed and start treatment
instead of spending a few weeks
at St Margaret Mercy in Dyer lying
in a bed trying to find out what the
doctors are going to do, he’d still
be around.
Hopefully this has opened your
eyes to the fact that the smallest
things really can become large,
uncontrollable things that have
the potential to hurt not only you
but many people around you. (8) 3
min 18 sec
CREDITS Photos of Jon Lester
Jim McIsaac
Getty Images
www.fannation.com/si_blog
November 15, 2010
bostonredsoxgirl46
redsoxgirl46.mlblogs.com
November 15, 2010