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Here’s a story we have heard too many times - You go to the doctor for a routine checkup, mammogram, or to have something looked at that seems abnormal. The doctor or radiologist decides to order a few more tests just to be safe, including a biopsy. After waiting anxiously for days or even weeks, the results arrive. It’s cancer. Finding out 'it's cancer' was the reality for nearly 2 million people across the United States in 2022 according to the CDC.

Many cancer patients and survivors describe everything after this as, ‘being in a fog,’ or ‘white noise,’ where it’s difficult or impossible to hear anything else being said after the words ‘you have cancer.’ Oncologists understand this and will usually suggest that a friend or family member also attend early appointments to take notes and provide emotional support.

When and how do you go about getting a second opinion? When it’s not a medical emergency and you're dealing with a major medical decision, gathering additional perspectives and information can guide you through figuring out what is best for you.

As a parent or guardian, your child’s health and happiness are at the top of your priorities. So, when the unexpected happens, whether it’s illness or injury, it’s hard not to jump into action immediately following a diagnosis. After all, you want your child to start feeling better as soon as possible. 

While no one should have to deal with cancer, it feels especially wrong to see a child, let alone your own child, receive this awful diagnosis. As a parent, nothing is more terrifying than the thought of losing your child. This year alone, 15,780 children will be diagnosed with Cancer. 1 in 285 children will be diagnosed with cancer by the time they are 20 years old. 

Every year in the US, twelve million people are affected by medical diagnostic errors, while more than forty-thousand die as a direct or indirect cause of this misdiagnosis. In a developed country with arguably the finest health care system in the world, you have to stop and ask yourself - Why?