PATHS in the NEWS

Following is a copy of an article written by Chris Lang, PATHS Executive Director & Founder. It was printed in July in the Diva Toolbox online magazine. To go to the actual article, click here.

Who Would Speak for You in a Medical Crisis?

I know it is kind of a scary question but it is one that I had to face. We knew that my husband needed a heart and lung transplant operation. We had years of waiting on a donor list. Yet when the donor became available, he received his long awaited operation; we were totally unprepared for the rocky road to recovery we faced. He suffered a coma, seizures, 20 surgeries, 2 organ transplants, many infections, hundreds of medical procedures, 8 months in intensive care (where he could not speak for himself). At that emotionally crippling time, I had to learn how to be his voice—his patient advocate. The good news is that he survived all of that and was restored to health but without an advocate that may not have happened.

Thanks to wonderful medical providers, an educational background as a researcher, and a fabulous teaching hospital; I learned to be quite effective but at a terrible time in my life. I have since gone on to voluntarily work with many patients and their families, meet them where their needs took me and teach them how to navigate their own medical journey and become valued members of their own medical team. I have learned that no matter the condition or disease there are 7 steps you need to become an expert in to be an effective advocate, for yourself or a loved one.

All of us will be called on to advocate for a spouse, child, parent, ourselves or a friend. We owe it to our loved ones to learn how to do so as effectively as possible. The time to learn is now, before an acute episode takes you to the Emergency room or to Intensive care. Navigating a medical journey is complicated and can take you to multiple doctors in multiple locations; just how to you get them all on the same page. I have learned the crucial steps in accomplishing this and many other important tasks; how to choose medical facilities and providers, developing medical communications tools, learning how to receive maximum benefits from your insurance carrier and building a support team around the patient.

We all want to make the best informed medical decisions we can; that take some training to do so but it is empowering to learn and prepares you for what life may throw at you.

Our goal is to share our knowledge, gained in the middle of life and death decisions and prepare people well ahead of their medical challenge. The only reason to learn anything is to reach out a helping hand to others; we hope you will let us do that for you and your loved ones.

PATHS (Patient Advocacy Training & Health Services a newly established non-profit. It builds on my 26 years of advocacy training experience as well as the talents of many others. Our web site is a wealth of information about our services, how we have helped others, testimonies from both doctors and patient families, and how you can become involved. Please visit PATHS web site: www.patientpaths.org

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