Day 16

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to present mom's official oncologist...

Dr. Minggui Pan

Dr. Pan is with Kaiser in Santa Clara and has made a wonderful first impression on John and Denise. Not only was he willing to see her right away, but his encounter with her was positive, forthcoming and full of fight.

He began their meeting with a very personal and sincere apology for the news of her diagnosis. Then, he said, "Let's get to work." He agreed that an aggressive chemo treatment was ideal given her obvious health and determination. He broke down the side effects of each element of the treatment and ensured her that he would be monitoring her closely and making any adjustments necessary to keep her as comfortable as possible.

He called for new tests across the board, refined her prescription list and gave she and Johnnie all the information they needed to move forward. In short, as mom says, "We've found our Wagon Master."

Dr. Pan will contact us on Monday to schedule her first date of chemo, which will be within the week. Also, since she's able to get treatment through Kaiser... it's covered by her insurance! Mom is much encouraged to have finally found a health care practitioner on whom we can rely to hedge us in as mom fights for her life.

And, fight we shall!