Dave gets Goliath: brain cancer treatment at Duke University

On TreatmentAdvocacy
Written By Liz Salmi
PHOTO: Dave. (RIP)

PHOTO: Dave. (RIP)

In 2012 I met a guy named Dave on a bus ride to Capitol Hill. We were brought together by National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) and had the same mission: lobby Congress about funding for brain tumor research.

(We also got sandwiches together along with a number of other brain tumor patients, got lost in the city, made jokes about a whole bunch of people with brain cancer getting lost in the city, and, well... you had to have been there.)

Last month I joined NBTS again for the same purpose... except I didn't see Dave. This freaked me out. So much so, it prompted me to tweet this:

Worst part of being a #btsm advocate: Not seeing someone you met last year & wondering if they're still alive. #BrainTumorThursday— The Liz Army (@TheLizArmy) May 9, 2013

Fortunately, I found Dave on Facebook and saw he was still alive. I asked if he wouldn't mind updating me on his status. In response, he posted this video on his blog.

Liz Salmi

Liz Salmi is Communications & Patient Initiatives Director for OpenNotes at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Over the last 15 years Liz has been: a research subject; an advisor in patient stakeholder groups; a leader in “patient engagement” research initiatives; and an innovator, educator and investigator in national educational and research projects. Today her work focuses on involving patients and care partners in the co-design of research and research dissemination. It is rumored Liz was the drummer in a punk rock band.

https://thelizarmy.com
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