Surgeon shares 1st-hand experience as breast cancer patient
Liz O’Riordan, as consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon in the U.K., has spent her entire career removing cancer from others. But after being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in July 2015, she found herself on the other side of the equation.
Nine months later, after trudging through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, O’Riordan was cancer free. Now, nearly three years after that initial diagnosis, she has returned to work—operating to remove cancer from a 65-year-old woman.
A Feb. 13 story in The Atlantic dives into O’Riordan’s story—and how her struggles as a patient changed her outlook as a physician.
“As doctors, no one tells you to read blogs or patient stories,” she said. “But I think from medical students up, you need to actually take time to listen to patients. You might be a patient one day.”
O’Riordan gave a TEDx talk in 2016, which can be seen here. She chronicled her experiences in blog posts.
Read the full story at The Atlantic at the link below:
Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.