Share Your Story: Patricia Doucet

09/30/22 • 29 min

Patricia Doucet speaks and writes with clarity, compassion, and humor–encouraging women to never give up. A Christian wife, mother, cancer survivor, cancer caregiver, divorcee, mental health and relationship coach, artist, and pianist–she is on a mission to inspire women who are on their own journey–from brokenness to beloved.

02:45: It was very slow-growing thyroid cancer.
04:14: I got another lump in the same place.
06:17: I have never heard of that kind of surgery.
08:54: Did you say anything to him at the next follow-up appointment?
11:05: I did a lot of therapy so I could keep my neck upright.
13:06: She had melanoma before I got cancer.
14:37: How was your experience as a caregiver different than when you were a patient?
15:06: What was your worst moment in those five years?
17:31: She had gotten breast cancer quite young.
19:20: What was your best moment?
22:17: I didn't learn how to love myself 100% until my 40s.
23:27: What is one thing you wish you'd known at the beginning of your cancer journey?
24:26: If you could do one thing to improve health care in Canada, what would it be and why?
25:56: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions

Resources

Patricia's website

02:45: It was very slow-growing thyroid cancer.
04:14: I got another lump in the same place.
06:17: I have never heard of that kind of surgery.
08:54: Did you say anything to him at the next follow-up appointment?
11:05: I did a lot of therapy so I could keep my neck upright.
13:06: She had melanoma before I got cancer.
14:37: How was your experience as a caregiver different than when you were a patient?
15:06: What was your worst moment in those five years?
17:31: She had gotten breast cancer quite young.
19:20: What was your best moment?
22:17: I didn't learn how to love myself 100% until my 40s.
23:27: What is one thing you wish you'd known at the beginning of your cancer journey?
24:26: If you could do one thing to improve health care in Canada, what would it be and why?
25:56: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions

Resources

Patricia's website

Previous Episode

Meet The Expert: Dr. Effie Andrikopoulou

Dr. Effie Andrikopoulou is a Cardio-Oncologist and a cardiac Imaging expert caring for her patients in Birmingham, Alabama. She is passionate about providing excellent care driven by her core values of active listening, empathy, and respect.

02:05: I went from Greece to Baltimore.
03:59: Did you always want to be a doctor?
05:30: When I came to Baltimore, I also did research on surgery.
08:57: The clock starts ticking the minute the person comes to the hospital.
11:31: Tell us a little bit more about interacting with people who have cancer.
14:34: Every medication is helpful, but it comes with different types of side effects.
17:42: What has been your worst moment as a physician?
20:26: Did medical school prepare you to go through that experience knowing that some of your patients will die?
24:34: In the past couple of years, I've started digging deeper into psychology and leadership.
25:50: What has been the best moment?
27:43: I always tell my patients the minimum that their heart needs to stay healthy is 30 minutes of decent-paced walking, five days a week.
31:08: She survived her cancer, but she was left with heart failure as a result of that.
34:27: There should be a bare minimum level of self-care that we do that will allow us to be present for our patients and their families.
36:30: If you could only do one thing to improve health care in the U.S., what would it be and why?
43:22: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions.
47:22: Aside from Cancer U, what's one resource you would recommend for cancer patients and caregivers?

Resources

Next Episode

Share Your Story: Ann Low

Ann is a serial entrepreneur, author, and cancer advocate. After her own cancer diagnosis in 2014, Ann, who spent several decades as a surgical assistant to a glaucoma specialist, recognized how little she knew about the cancer journey, even with her vast medical background. This raised a question in her mind, “If I found the experience difficult, what must it be like to have no medical background and receive a cancer diagnosis?” This question was the impetus for her to pen, Holy Crap I Have Cancer! Now What? What to Expect When You Weren’t Expecting, a book that assists patients, who are newly diagnosed with cancer through their treatment and into survivorship.

02:22: I had dense breasts and a family history of cancer.
04:31: I go to the surgeon, and I fall in love with him immediately.
06:40: I spent 20 years in medicine as a surgical technician.
08:22: I was in such bad shape.
10:19: I was on a 21-day cycle.
12:45: It's the first time I've ever thought of giving up.
14:00: East Coast chemotherapy can be far different from West Coast chemotherapy.
16:15: I had radiation after the mastectomy.
18:20: Silicone was banned for a long time, and they brought that back.
20:21: I was stage three.
22:08: After you got the implants, were you happy with them?
24:26: I suddenly started having vertigo all the time.
27:52: In Arizona, people have to be told about breast implant illness prior to getting implants.
28:48: What was your worst moment during that time?
29:24: Staph infections are typically more painful than the original injury or surgery.
32:29: I would give you a 15% chance of being here next year.
35:34: What's nice about the clinical trials is that they keep a close eye on you.
36:14: What was your best moment?
39:49: What is one thing you wish you'd known at the very beginning of your cancer journey?
41:12: If you could only change one thing in health care in the U.S., what would it be and why?
45:18: Thriver Rapid Questions
46:33: Aside from Cancer U, what is one resource that you would recommend for cancer patients and caregivers?