Reaching the Reluctant
My mother, Mary Lee, in her younger years.
Today is a special day of remembrance for me. It’s the third anniversary of my mother’s leave-taking. She died of lung cancer, and, as with all losses, her absence has left a great space. She lived in a small South Carolina town and took her chemo and radiation treatments locally. She was hospitalized in a regional medical center and lived only five months past her diagnosis. During the time of her illness, I kept thinking I would like her to go to one of the premier cancer centers where she could get the best treatment available, but given her age (82) and her husband’s (89), I knew they wanted to stay close to home and that they had full confidence in their doctors (though since then, my step-father has voiced doubts about the medical regimen she was put through).
This brings me to a question that our MMA leadership ponders quite often: How to reach a reluctant populace of patients such as those living in rural areas or those of senior status who represent a generation that never questioned the doctor, spelled with a capital D. Just as others do in a country whose health care is the most advanced in the world, these folks are entitled to advanced specialized treatment. For those with limited financial means, Mercy Medical Airlift is the answer to providing access to that care. And while we help many elderly and rural patients, we would like to help more. How to make our message resonate with them—that is the challenge.
2 Responses to “Reaching the Reluctant”
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March 10th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Wonderful story and illustration of how MMA can help and “be the answer”.
March 11th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
What a beautiful tribute to your mother! Also, a great way to tie-in a very good point about the trust in doctors is changing and maybe that should be questioned more. Mercy Medical Airlift offers a great answer to that question! Excellent post!