The human touch
Crucial as such cutting-edge treatments are in attracting myeloma patients to Dana-Farber, it is the quality of care they receive at the Institute that engages their loyalty.
Nancy Orazem, who has been treated at the Institute since 1990, remarks that "the focus of everyone — from physicians and nurses to housekeeping staff — is on the well-being of the patient. Everyone has been so supportive: there's a real sense that they care about your health, that they want you to get better. It's the most caring, upbeat environment imaginable for patients with this condition."
"It's the most caring, upbeat environment imaginable for patients with this condition."
— Nancy Orazem
She reserves special praise for Anderson, who, she says, has managed to balance being "truthful and non-alarmist" during 10 years of ups and downs with the disease. "He always gives hope," she notes. "Even now, when things are going really well with my condition, he tells me what he and his colleagues are working on in the lab. These are treatments that I don't need yet, but it's comforting to know they're there.
"He's full of human kindness," she continues. "He's a rare combination of someone who's a marvelous scientist as well as a wonderful caregiver and human being."
Her comments are echoed by Kathy Giusti, who directs the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation in Connecticut and whose myeloma is in the "smoldering" stage before becoming an active disease.
"For people with cancer, it's crucial to identify a physician who's a leader in treating their specific type of disease," she says. "For multiple myeloma, it's Ken Anderson. Anything that offers potential for a cure or for extending my life is being tested at Dana-Farber. There's no one I'd trust more than Dr. Anderson, no one who's better educated about this disease or more committed to taking care of me."
