Over the course of 2017, my sister and best friend, Meghan, was diagnosed with three serious ailments in succession: an autoimmune disease, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and a rare and aggressive lung disease (bronchiolitis obliterans). Considering our father died from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 1997, the cancer diagnosis was frightening and disheartening to our family.
Unfortunately, we soon discovered that the cancer was the least of our worries. Meghan's lung disease was the real issue. It was aggressive and rare which meant it would progress quickly, but doctors had little knowledge of how to stop it.
During this time, I did my best to support Meghan. As time progressed, I soon realized that my knowledge and experience as a pharmaceutical sales trainer gave me a different perspective than most family members who care for a sick loved one. I put my professional training to work and strategically advocated for my sister by asking effective questions, figuring out a way to capture key conversations, conducting research using reliable websites, and more. I was determined to be the most influential advocate I could be for my loving sister.
To our dismay, the next 13 months were painful and heartbreaking as we witnessed Meghan's condition worsen. No matter what the doctors did, the lung disease intensified. In the end, Meghan died three days shy of her 48th birthday.
These heartbreaking life events paired with my knowledge as a pharmaceutical sales trainer inspired me to teach others how to advocate for the patient in their life. In 2020, I published my first book, Badass Advocate: Becoming The Champion Your Seriously Ill Loved One Deserves. The focus of the book is to teach others how to navigate the challenges they will face both in and out of the hospital. Throughout the book, I continue to emphasize the importance of building a team and working with healthcare professionals. Overall, the book teaches readers how to champion for their loved one so the patient gets the care they deserve.
