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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
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 When a Doctor is Sick... A Personal Journey 
This is a follow-up to LitSite Alaska's Narrative and Healing: A Physician With Amyloidosis.
When Dr. Richard Neubauer was diagnosed with
primary amyloidosis in 2002, a condition he describes as, "one of those
that you learn about in medical school and wonder if you will ever see a
case," he says he couldn't have imagined how his career could have changed
so dramatically.
LitSite Alaska
contains a Narrative and Healing
section focusing on the therapeutic properties of writing and storytelling,
providing examples of how people of all ages face life's challenges through the
art of telling their stories. In a special feature,
Physician as Patient,
Dr. Neubauer and others about this rarely
explored but important topic. It was the basis for a conference held in
Anchorage in 2008. In his preface to the conference, Dr. Neubauer says,
"(This is) an experiment of sorts. What can we learn from the experiences
of fellow physicians who have become patients? Can these lessons make us better
doctors? And, for those of us who have never experienced illness, are there
ways to prepare for the inevitable time when that will change?"
Read on...
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DIGITAL ARCHIVES GALLERY
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Togo and Balto - Heroes of Nome
While many details of the great Serum Run of 1925 have faded into history, the names of two famous Alaska dogs, Togo and Balto, have spanned the decades.
Their owner, Norwegian-born Leonhard Seppala, came to Nome during the height of its gold rush on June 14, 1900. The dogs were imports from Siberia, a team of huskies that were intended for a polar expedition headed by Roald Amundsen. When the expedition was canceled, the team was given to Seppala. Togo, named for the Japanese admiral Togo Heihachiro (1848-1934), was born in 1913 and developed into Seppala's favorite. Read on...
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
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When a Doctor is Sick - continued from top
As a physician, Dr. Neubauer recalls his
initial reactions to the diagnosis and approach to treatment. He says he wanted
to be a "good patient." He also wanted to contribute to the education
of young physicians and he wanted to be sure that he tried hard not to be a
self-described "pain-in-the-neck."
Learning to cope with illness in oneself or among close family or friends is
never easy, and in Dr. Neubauer's
A Physician With Amyloidosis,
he describes his illness from a unique
perspective.
Dr. Neubauer shares intimacies, like how he documented his symptoms prior to
seeing a physician. He acknowledges a state of denial when faced with the
severity of the diagnosis, "...frankly, I did not want any (diagnosis)
that might explain my symptoms..." As he goes through this very personal
journey, Dr. Neubauer considers various treatment methods acknowledging,
"...the benefit of any needs to be weighed against the damage it could do.
That kind of uncertainty is very difficult to deal with..." He speaks
occasionally about his family, and he comes to grips with the possibility of
death.
Later, he reflects on how his career has changed since becoming ill. "It
has been ironic in some ways that some of the most significant work I've done
in organized medicine has occurred since I became ill. It has been my goal to
make something that could be just plain bad into something that has aspects of
good...."
Litsite Alaska presents
The Physician As Patient
examining the experiences of doctors as
patients, opening a window on the health care process in partnership with the
American College of Physicians. It is a unique collaboration that focuses on
the therapeutic properties of narrative. Also visit the Narrative and Healing
section (ADD LINK) for a wide array of professional and personal perspectives
on the healing properties of sharing one's stories.
Listen to audio from Dr. Neubauer's complete presentation and read the article here...
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