I Had to Get Cancer to Become a More Empathetic DoctorI Had to Get Cancer to Become a More Empathetic Doctor

abstract: Annals of Internal Medicine

 I am 80 and a retired infectious diseases physician. I have always thought of myself as caring, compassionate, and warm. I thought I knew what patients were feeling, but only now that I have a life-threatening illness do I understand what it's really like to be a patient.