Sarah’s Story | Episode Four

Hirschfeld Oncology: Fighting Cancer Series (Stage 4 Colon Cancer)

This is an interview about a woman named Sarah, with her husband, all about a battle against recurring colon cancer told in a series of audio segments. This is Episode Four.

If you would like to start at the beginning of the story click here for Episode One.

Don’t take that final option from the oncologist. It’s certainly worth a visit to Dr. Hirschfield to meet with him, to talk to him, to hear his ideas.

Spreading the Word

I’ve certainly spread the word with people I’ve met. Don’t take that final option from the oncologist. It’s certainly worth a visit to Dr. Hirschfield to meet with him, to talk to him, to hear his ideas. People should not throw in the towel. You gotta fight. You gotta fight. There are weapons out there, and not every doctor is brilliant, as much as their trainings may have been similar. There are some unique individuals like Dr. Hirschfeld who can think outside the box and who will try things that, you never know, may give hope.

The game plan is to be cancer free. Even if that game plan is challenging to meet, there’s an alternate game plan of extending the person’s life, as long as humanly possible in a way that the patient isn’t suffering.

A Remarkable Staff

We came [to Dr. Hirschfeld’s office] on a visit about a month ago or so. When we pulled into the parking lot, walking towards the front door, we saw an older woman. It was one of Dr. Hirschfeld’s patients. She was going with her walker back to her car after treatment. And for whatever reason she tripped.  Somehow she landed flat on her back in the parking lot. So I went over right away along with some other kindhearted people.

They immediately called up Dr. Hirschfeld’s office. And already, when we were down there, one of the excellent nurses had run down to be by her. And then when we went to the elevator, the door opened and someone else had come from his office running to help. And when we pressed the third floor button to get to his office, there was another one of his excellent people running to the elevator.

It’s an amazing staff. You look at these people and you would not believe how each and every one there are really great at what they do.

The staff’s job doesn’t end just at intake. During the course of the treatment they also have to take blood pressure. They’re amazing. They’re really good at what they do. The nurses are fabulous. they know what has to be done and they do it, efficiently and with care. There are two PAs there who are really, again, excellent. There’s Leia and Jennifer who are fabulous PAs. They are Dr. Hirschfeld’s feet on the ground, so to speak, although he’s in the office and God forbid, if there are any emergencies, Dr. Hirschfeld will come immediately out to the front. They’re the first line of defense, so to speak, and they’re really good. They’re very accessible.

One of the staff members has the ‘great fortune’ of having to deal with the insurance companies and making sure to get approvals, which is no fun task. It’s a job I would definitely never consider. It’s just so stressful. And I sat in the office once he was on the phone for 40 minutes with the insurance company, with the folks who supply the medicine.

And he kept on insisting, “This is a must, I’ve been on the phone with you before.” It seemed like they had given approval once. And then they rejected it for some reason. Then they approved again. And so each week he was starting from square one again, because they didn’t have the records. He had to fight tooth and nail each week. I’ve never seen anything like it. He really wouldn’t back off. He did whatever he could to make sure that the insurance company would cover this medication that this person desperately needed. And when I came the following week and asked about it, he said the patient got the medication, they approved it.

Everyone’s giving their all over there. It’s an amazing, caring group of people. I thank God every day that we got to Dr. Hirschfeld’s office, that we have all this fabulous staff.

This is Sarah’s Story | Episode Four. Click here to read and hear Episode Five.

As a note, names have been changed for those in this testimonial.