[00:00:15] Hello everyone, welcome to The Care OACES. This is the podcast, the great podcast by Dr. Cooper, who is going to say hello to all of you right now.

[00:00:29] Dr. Hello, this is Dr. William Cooper, aka Dr. CoopMD and welcome to The Care OACES sponsored by oasishealth.com. We're glad you're here. This is a safe place in the desert.

[00:00:42] Dr. Cooper, your story is so intriguing, so beautiful, so emotional, but let's start at the very beginning. Where were you born and raised? Did you always want to be a doctor? Was either of your parents a doctor?

[00:01:02] Dr. Yeah, so I was born and raised in a small town in southern Missouri. That town is called Hayti, spelled H-A-Y-T-I, not A-T. It has nothing to do with the country Hayti. In fact, there's another city in North Carolina exactly the same spelling, H-A-Y-T-I, Hayti, North Carolina.

[00:01:24] Now, it's in the boot hill part of the state. That's the little boot shape point that sticks down into Arkansas if you look at a map of the state of Missouri.

[00:01:32] So I was born and raised there, born in a traditional family, mother, father, four boys, four girls. It's interesting, the pattern. It is girl, boy, girl, boys meaning twins, girl, boy, girl.

[00:01:51] So I was in the second girl, boy, girl set at the bottom. I was number seven out of eight.

[00:02:00] You know, always wanted to be a doctor as far as I could remember. Yes.

[00:02:06] It was solidified when I was 14 years old, however.

[00:02:10] But prior to that, I was always interested and did very well in school in the sciences, biology and things like that, organic chemistry, chemistry, those things, physiology.

[00:02:21] I always did very well in those classes and just had an interest in how biological systems work.

[00:02:29] And in my immediate family, no, both my parents were educators.

[00:02:32] There were no doctors in the family.

[00:02:36] Well, you just said that there was a particular moment in which you decided that it was health care and being a doctor.

[00:02:43] What was it and why?

[00:02:45] Yeah. So I was 14 years old when my mom passed.

[00:02:49] She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

[00:02:54] And that's pretty impactful for a 14 year old boy.

[00:02:57] Right. We're still in love with mom at that point in our lives.

[00:03:01] Not that that love ever goes away, but it changes over time.

[00:03:05] And so for me, it was very, very impactful.

[00:03:08] I was, I think, very angry.

[00:03:11] But more than it wasn't anger.

[00:03:14] It was very it was weird.

[00:03:16] It was very intriguing to me.

[00:03:18] Meaning the concept of death at that point in time.

[00:03:21] Well, grandparents had died and people.

[00:03:23] But you just didn't think that a 46 year old woman is going to get such a devastating disease and die that young.

[00:03:29] It's not supposed to happen to mom or dad or sister or brother or anyone.

[00:03:35] And so I was just very, very curious and confused and didn't really understand why this was happening.

[00:03:42] And that was the thing that really secured my interest, my passion and my desire to become a physician.

[00:03:52] That was it.

[00:03:53] That was the story.

[00:03:54] My mama dying of pancreatic cancer at a very young age and me being fairly young at the time, 14 years old.

[00:04:02] Was there anything about her death that made you think this could have been avoided or was it just the death?

[00:04:13] Yeah, you know, no, not at that time.

[00:04:15] Not at age 14.

[00:04:16] No, it was.

[00:04:19] It was nothing there in terms of what went on that I could understand that I could say that at that time.

[00:04:29] However, as I got older and began to understand medicine and began to understand, you know, how body systems work.

[00:04:37] I was like, wow, there were a lot of warning signs.

[00:04:40] I remember clearly months, probably years in my head before my mom died.

[00:04:46] She would always complain of back pain.

[00:04:47] I mean, it was just, you know, this really kind of nagging sort of thing.

[00:04:52] And, you know, and when I look back on it, I think about at the time, well, she just got a little back pain.

[00:04:55] That happens to people.

[00:04:56] Okay.

[00:04:57] But now when I, you know, or as I was getting into medicine and understanding symptom complexes and how these things all work together, I was like, wow.

[00:05:07] You know, that pain that she was having was very likely related to the pancreatic cancer.

[00:05:11] Back pain is one of the signs of advanced pancreatic cancer because it begins to invade the nerves in the part of the body we call the retroperitoneum.

[00:05:22] And so I was like, man, that she had all the signs.

[00:05:25] And then one day, I'll never forget this.

[00:05:28] I remember like his clock.

[00:05:30] I mean, just like it happened yesterday.

[00:05:31] I was one day I went in the bathroom behind her and there was literally a pool of blood.

[00:05:39] So at 14 years old, I'm thinking to myself, well, this is a mom female kind of problem.

[00:05:43] You know, maybe she just forgot to flush and, you know, so I didn't think much of it at that time.

[00:05:52] But again, later on, I began to think about it.

[00:05:55] I said, you know, my mad bleeding.

[00:05:59] And I thought, well, you know, that's not menstrual bleeding.

[00:06:03] That's gastrointestinal rectal bleeding associated also potentially with an invasive pancreatic cancer.

[00:06:10] Later on, I remember having vomiting episodes and those kinds of things.

[00:06:16] And then finally, the pain got so severe that she went to local doctor.

[00:06:22] And, you know, they at that at that time in 1982, we were kind of just on the verge of developing CAT scans.

[00:06:30] And so she did have a CAT scan, but and I'm not sure exactly what it showed.

[00:06:36] But I'm sure based on the surgery that she had, it showed that there was extensive carcinoma ptosis throughout her entire abdomen.

[00:06:46] She underwent a surgical procedure to try to reroute her bowels because of the vomiting she was having just to relieve her symptom of that.

[00:06:56] But that was unsuccessful. And so six months after she was diagnosed, she passed.

[00:07:04] And, you know, again, I'm giving you a lot of information that I later understood as a physician, a young medical student and training and those kinds of things.

[00:07:16] It's the picture is very, very clear.

[00:07:19] Was there something that could have been done?

[00:07:20] No, at that time, pancreatic cancer was uniformly fatal.

[00:07:27] There were not many survivors.

[00:07:29] You had to get really, really lucky and be diagnosed very, very early for you to survive pancreatic cancer.

[00:07:36] Now, the good news is these days, the survival rates for pancreatic cancer have gone up.

[00:07:41] With aggressive surgery, chemotherapy, early diagnosis and the ubiquity, if you will, of the tests that can pick this up.

[00:07:52] And even some biological and genetic type markers that if you're susceptible to it or have a family history of it that you can look into with your doctors.

[00:08:03] But at that time, there was really nothing that I could see that could have been done differently.

[00:08:09] So you're a 14-year-old who's just lost his mom.

[00:08:14] I assume none of them, not your dad or your mother, were doctors.

[00:08:21] And you tell your dad that you want to be a doctor.

[00:08:26] Yeah.

[00:08:28] What did your family think?

[00:08:30] Was it something that was easy to do back then where you were living?

[00:08:35] You had, I mean, seven siblings, which means seven people going to college.

[00:08:41] How was it when you said, I want to be a doctor?

[00:08:44] Yeah, that's a good question.

[00:08:45] You know, actually, you know, coming from a family of educators and high achievement, that was expected, honestly, I think.

[00:08:53] And then the good news is that my dad came from a really big family and he already had two brothers that were doctors.

[00:09:00] I had a cousin who was just ahead of me in high school who had gone on to medical school or was going on to medical school as well.

[00:09:09] And so the influences and the, if you will, the conditions or the expectations that you're going to go to school for sure.

[00:09:21] And it just it wasn't unusual to become or want to become a doctor in my family.

[00:09:26] And I think that's the you know, that's the beauty of coming from a larger family.

[00:09:31] Most families are microcosm of society.

[00:09:35] And ours was no different in that regard.

[00:09:38] Was it difficult?

[00:09:41] I didn't think so, honestly, because I'd always been raised and we'd always been raised.

[00:09:45] We could do anything we want or we set our minds to.

[00:09:47] OK, you know, financially and sort of thinking back on, you know, the financial strains and the cost of it.

[00:09:55] Honestly, I didn't even think about it that way.

[00:09:57] I just saw it.

[00:09:58] You know, I was going to be a doctor.

[00:09:59] I was determined.

[00:10:01] And I think the message there is you get something in your head that, you know, is it's good.

[00:10:09] It's good for you.

[00:10:11] It's potentially good for society.

[00:10:13] It's good for the people around you.

[00:10:15] And there's absolutely nothing that can stop that.

[00:10:17] And so I didn't approach it as, oh, just because I'm from a little small town in Missouri, I can't do it.

[00:10:24] I approached it from a can do, will do perspective.

[00:10:31] And whatever barriers that were going to be put in front of me, I was going to overcome them.

[00:10:39] That, unfortunately, coming from a small town.

[00:10:43] Can be a dross for some families, some people because of the family environment.

[00:10:51] I got over that hurdle.

[00:10:52] I didn't have to deal with that when I was blessed to be born into a great family.

[00:10:57] But then when you think about externally, the community and the people around you, you know, they don't have those experiences or didn't have the access to those kinds of experiences.

[00:11:07] And therefore, they can't see it.

[00:11:09] And so, you know, if you can't see it, you know, how can you become it?

[00:11:16] But I could see it because of my family.

[00:11:19] And so I was never influenced by the environment and the community that I grew up in, except for growing up in a very humble, hardworking community.

[00:11:30] And so I had people around me encouraging me all the time.

[00:11:36] Your journey is really inspiring.

[00:11:38] And I do believe that you were 14 and you made a decision and you were going to make it happen.

[00:11:46] But were there any doubts along the path?

[00:11:50] Did you at any point say, I don't know, this might be too much?

[00:11:55] Yeah, I did.

[00:11:57] It was a very specific time when I said, I don't know about this.

[00:12:02] And that's when I took my first chemistry examination in college.

[00:12:07] And I got a C minus.

[00:12:09] Now, you got to remember something.

[00:12:11] I came from a small town where I was the man.

[00:12:15] I was valedictorian of my class.

[00:12:19] You know, I was the athlete.

[00:12:21] So I'm kind of like the good looking athletic smart kid from a little small town in Missouri.

[00:12:27] Doesn't hardly mean a lot when you get to medical school.

[00:12:30] So that's like, oh, I was like, that was my aha moment.

[00:12:33] Like, man, this thing is pretty real.

[00:12:36] It's pretty serious.

[00:12:37] And so I was I was as that was a moment for me that was kind of like, man, this is going to be difficult or potentially could be very, very difficult.

[00:12:49] And you know what?

[00:12:50] You know, it's like fate.

[00:12:52] You know, when and again, you know, it's not just you, but it's the universe that has a plan for you.

[00:12:58] I I had a professor in that chemistry class.

[00:13:08] And he said to me.

[00:13:10] He said, do you know.

[00:13:13] Do you know.

[00:13:14] That on the.

[00:13:16] Pre entry chemistry examination that all the kids are given.

[00:13:22] And you scored the lowest of all of you all.

[00:13:25] I said, well, I said, no, I didn't know that.

[00:13:28] I said, nobody pulled me aside to tell me that.

[00:13:30] And I said, I appreciate you saying that.

[00:13:34] And he said to me.

[00:13:36] But that's a challenge for you, but it's also a challenge for me.

[00:13:41] He said, I know you can do this work.

[00:13:44] And he said, I have no.

[00:13:45] There's no surprise that you made a C minus on this test.

[00:13:47] Quite frankly, I'm surprised you made a C minus based on the.

[00:13:52] Pre entry chemistry exam.

[00:13:55] I was like, wow, really.

[00:13:58] And he said, but I'm going to help you.

[00:14:00] He said, here are my office hours.

[00:14:03] It was written on the board for everybody.

[00:14:05] He said, but I really want you to take advantage of those office hours and come by and see me.

[00:14:11] After each one of these sort of modules that we go through and he said, I'll, I'll, well, it'll be pretty obvious to you because back in those days, I think they, I guess they still do it.

[00:14:20] They would give you a syllabus.

[00:14:22] They would kind of tell you what was going to be an area.

[00:14:23] So that was easy.

[00:14:24] This is just each one of these little sections are modules, part of the syllabus.

[00:14:29] He said, so after each one at any time that you want, I want you to come by.

[00:14:33] So I'm going to make sure you understand this and we're going to get you through this.

[00:14:38] I was very, very blessed and appreciative of that.

[00:14:41] I ended up getting a B plus in that class and didn't get many B's after that.

[00:14:45] Certainly didn't get any C's while I was in medical school.

[00:14:48] I do have to explain something though for the audience.

[00:14:50] So you understand I went to a six year medical school.

[00:14:53] So at the university of Missouri in Kansas city.

[00:14:56] So what that means is that we came right out of high school.

[00:15:01] It's very much similar to a European type model.

[00:15:04] In fact, that's where the model came from.

[00:15:06] The founder of the school, Edmund's Great Diamond.

[00:15:09] This was the first school of its kind in the United States.

[00:15:13] Strictly six years.

[00:15:15] You came right out of high school.

[00:15:16] It was based on your performance in high school, extracurricular activities, and the usual things and attributes that they look for that to try to determine your ability to succeed and get through it.

[00:15:30] And so I went to a school that everybody came there right out of high school, 100 of us.

[00:15:37] And of that 100, I scored the lowest on the pre-entry chemistry exam.

[00:15:42] I remember going to St. Louis, Missouri to take the exam.

[00:15:46] And, you know, it was kind of interesting.

[00:15:48] You walk into that room and I was very intimidating.

[00:15:51] I was very intimidated.

[00:15:53] I mean, in high school, I went to a school that was probably 80, 90 percent African-American black.

[00:15:58] Went and walked into that class and I was like, man, I was one of maybe two or three blacks out of all these kids.

[00:16:05] And they're taking this.

[00:16:05] I was like, oh, my lordy lord.

[00:16:07] What have I got myself into?

[00:16:09] But again, determined, not afraid, ambitious.

[00:16:15] I'm going to make this happen.

[00:16:16] I had a mom die of cancer and I don't care what hurdle you put in front of me.

[00:16:21] I'm going to get through it.

[00:16:22] And so it wasn't the woe is me.

[00:16:25] I didn't play victim or any of those things.

[00:16:27] I just kept striving.

[00:16:28] I just kept going.

[00:16:29] I just kept going.

[00:16:30] And, you know, in fact, today I'm still that way.

[00:16:32] I'm in school right now.

[00:16:34] I'm doing a Harvard AI and health care online executive education course.

[00:16:40] I just love learning, particularly things that I'm curious about.

[00:16:43] And that's been a very strong attribute for me.

[00:16:46] But, you know, doubt.

[00:16:48] Yeah, that that chemistry exam, you know, created a lot of doubt.

[00:16:51] I was like, oh, my God, is every class going to be like that?

[00:16:55] No, it wasn't.

[00:16:56] All the other classes, except for chemistry.

[00:16:59] I really love organic chemistry was my favorite.

[00:17:03] That's a little bit different than just physical chemistry.

[00:17:06] So, you know, organic chemistry is more focused on the chemistry of biological systems.

[00:17:12] Physical chemistry is more focused on, you know, non-carbon magnesium and all these other things interacting.

[00:17:20] Hydroxide, all these things existentially from the body and how they interact with each other.

[00:17:25] So, yeah, but that created a little bit of doubt.

[00:17:28] But, you know, beyond that, no, it was just drive, determination, can do, going to do attitude.

[00:17:34] Doctor, can I call you Dr. Koop?

[00:17:37] Sure, yeah, sure.

[00:17:38] Dr. Koop, are you still in touch with that professor?

[00:17:43] I am not.

[00:17:44] I am not.

[00:17:45] I can see his face like it was yesterday, literally.

[00:17:50] And actually, I asked one of my best friends from college and medical school what his name.

[00:17:54] He couldn't remember him.

[00:17:55] I'm going to ask him again, as a matter of fact, because I just could not remember his name.

[00:17:59] I remember it.

[00:18:01] And that was so, I mean, you know, I think there was a combination of being in shock from that exam.

[00:18:06] And, you know, you know, a whole world sort of crashing down around me.

[00:18:10] I was like, oh, you know what?

[00:18:11] I can't.

[00:18:12] I mean, you know, so I could even kind of think about it.

[00:18:15] I could see his face, though.

[00:18:17] And I'm sure somebody and, you know, in fact, two years ago, we had our 30th class reunion graduation from medical school.

[00:18:24] And we talked about that.

[00:18:25] And somebody told me his name.

[00:18:26] But, you know, after you get about five decades on you, sometimes things just are a little bit elusive.

[00:18:33] Dr. Kerb, you've worn so many hats.

[00:18:37] Yes.

[00:18:38] Heart surgeon, a heart surgeon, entrepreneur, now podcast host.

[00:18:44] What has been the common thread connecting everything you do?

[00:18:49] Yeah, that's a very good question.

[00:18:51] The common thread for me.

[00:18:53] And, you know, I didn't I just realized this.

[00:18:57] Probably within the last five years.

[00:18:59] OK.

[00:19:00] Let me try to put it put it together for you.

[00:19:04] So, you know, the family history.

[00:19:06] Mom died when I was young.

[00:19:09] I lost a sister at she was the youngest girl died at 27.

[00:19:14] The next oldest sister died a few years later.

[00:19:17] She was 41.

[00:19:18] One, she died, ironically, after heart surgery.

[00:19:23] I had one of the twin boys died May of 2007 of a heart attack.

[00:19:28] He was 45.

[00:19:29] I had a sister.

[00:19:33] The oldest sister die in 2014 of metastatic ovarian cancer.

[00:19:42] And then my oldest brother, the third of the eight kids, he died in 2012 of AIDS, HIV AIDS.

[00:19:51] Now, I look back on that and this is why I say I'm really only, pardon me?

[00:19:58] Well, that means only three of you, three of the siblings are alive?

[00:20:03] Three of the siblings and my father's still alive.

[00:20:05] He'll be 92 in February.

[00:20:07] If he makes it to February 15, he's going to be 92 years old.

[00:20:10] OK.

[00:20:11] Doing well.

[00:20:12] He's got some memory issues.

[00:20:13] He's had strokes and articulation issues.

[00:20:16] But 92 strong years, you know.

[00:20:19] So, yeah, there's only three of us.

[00:20:20] I have a sister and one brother and myself that are still alive.

[00:20:25] Everybody else died young.

[00:20:26] The one brother that's alive is the only one of the siblings that has made it to 60.

[00:20:33] And if my sister's birthday, which is tomorrow, she's just older than I am.

[00:20:39] She will be 50.

[00:20:42] This may be 60 for her.

[00:20:44] Yeah.

[00:20:45] She was just a 64.

[00:20:46] Yeah.

[00:20:46] She's going to be she's got the big 60 coming up tomorrow.

[00:20:50] So I got to send her the big 60 shout out.

[00:20:53] So, yeah, they will be the two that have made it to beyond 60.

[00:20:57] The oldest sister who died, the last one to pass away, died in 2014 and she was 58 years old.

[00:21:04] So putting it together in terms of what's been the common theme.

[00:21:09] There's a very fundamental common theme.

[00:21:12] And.

[00:21:15] That fundamental common theme has been.

[00:21:19] A humble, passionate.

[00:21:25] Sharing.

[00:21:27] Nature for the plight of people.

[00:21:31] OK, and you can say, well, I got that from a father.

[00:21:34] I got that.

[00:21:35] No, I didn't get that from them.

[00:21:37] They just happen to be that way as well.

[00:21:40] I didn't pick them.

[00:21:41] They didn't pick me.

[00:21:43] And so I think, however, what happens is is spiritually.

[00:21:48] We end up being in the presence of those people that.

[00:21:52] If you really examine it.

[00:21:54] Are like you in some way.

[00:21:56] And that includes family members.

[00:21:59] Or, quite frankly, can you have in this?

[00:22:02] This happens in life.

[00:22:03] If you really examine it.

[00:22:05] And you hope that it's the majority of the people around you are people like you in some way in a spiritual way.

[00:22:10] But also sometimes I think God doesn't get anything wrong.

[00:22:14] But sometimes I think in your presence are the antithesis of you.

[00:22:20] And so there's always you got to be always be very careful when you say to someone, I don't like you or I don't like this.

[00:22:26] I don't like that.

[00:22:27] Because it may be.

[00:22:30] Maybe if you really examine it.

[00:22:32] That you're talking about yourself.

[00:22:35] It's karma.

[00:22:36] Karma will tell you that.

[00:22:37] If you read a lot about karma and certainly in the Buddhist and Hindu faiths, they talk a lot about these things.

[00:22:45] That most of us just go through life and we don't even think about it.

[00:22:48] So I say that to say that I think I was put in an environment.

[00:22:53] And I was shown through the indoctrination that we all go through from the day we are born.

[00:22:59] But I was shown that it's better to be a caring, nurturing, understanding.

[00:23:06] Person and respecting who you are, respecting the nature of your being in your life than it is to be contrary to that, whatever that contrary may be.

[00:23:20] And so as I look back and I think about the death and I talk about those deaths in my family, each one of those taught me something about me.

[00:23:33] But it also taught me a lot more.

[00:23:36] About the profession that I chose.

[00:23:39] So think about this now.

[00:23:43] Motivated by my mom dying of cancer.

[00:23:45] OK.

[00:23:48] And.

[00:23:50] Combining that with.

[00:23:52] My.

[00:23:55] To to some extent, precociousness.

[00:23:59] And.

[00:24:01] Going to medical school, learning all the book stuff.

[00:24:05] All right.

[00:24:06] Excelling at that, except for that chemistry exam.

[00:24:10] But then being young.

[00:24:13] It in a very personal, emotional way, when you have family members all throughout this process.

[00:24:18] You know, my mom died in 1982.

[00:24:20] My oldest sister died in 2014.

[00:24:22] So over the course of how many years is that?

[00:24:26] What are we 10, 10, 92, 12.

[00:24:30] 32.

[00:24:31] 32 years.

[00:24:33] Over the course of 32 years.

[00:24:35] Every.

[00:24:36] You know, so often I had a sibling died.

[00:24:40] And each one of their stories.

[00:24:44] Speaks loudly to some aspect.

[00:24:47] Of our.

[00:24:51] Partially broken health care system.

[00:24:53] And so when I think about it and I look back and I think about.

[00:24:58] My purpose in life.

[00:25:01] Is to serve people.

[00:25:02] It's pretty simple.

[00:25:04] It's pretty simple.

[00:25:05] There is no.

[00:25:07] I'm going to go build a spacecraft to go to the moon or whatever.

[00:25:10] I'm not going to do that.

[00:25:11] But I'm going to do everything I can to help people.

[00:25:14] And so what that has.

[00:25:17] Been.

[00:25:19] Concentrated down to.

[00:25:21] In my professional life.

[00:25:23] And through my entrepreneurship.

[00:25:25] And the sort of common thread.

[00:25:28] That you asked me about.

[00:25:29] Throughout all of that.

[00:25:30] So you got a guy here is now.

[00:25:32] Looking back at this.

[00:25:34] Taking it all in.

[00:25:35] Trying to do the deep dive inside.

[00:25:38] To figure out where this all fits.

[00:25:39] And makes sense for me.

[00:25:41] And so within my profession.

[00:25:42] What I do.

[00:25:43] It's about access.

[00:25:44] To care.

[00:25:45] That's the common thread for all of them.

[00:25:47] Mom didn't have access to a CT.

[00:25:49] Or you know.

[00:25:51] Advanced therapies for pancreatic cancer.

[00:25:53] Youngest sister died of.

[00:25:54] Of undiagnosed diabetes.

[00:25:57] Okay.

[00:25:57] Didn't have access to.

[00:25:59] Caregivers who could.

[00:26:01] Recognize that a young sexually active.

[00:26:03] 27 year old female.

[00:26:04] Can have something else going on.

[00:26:05] Besides a urinary tract infection.

[00:26:07] In fact what she was having.

[00:26:08] Was polyuria.

[00:26:09] Which she's peeing all the time.

[00:26:10] And.

[00:26:11] And also polydipsia.

[00:26:13] Drinking water.

[00:26:13] Well guess what.

[00:26:14] That's.

[00:26:15] Can be two things.

[00:26:16] That are pretty common in medicine.

[00:26:17] Anemia.

[00:26:18] Especially in a young menstruating.

[00:26:20] Girl.

[00:26:20] Menstruation.

[00:26:21] Or it could be.

[00:26:22] Guess what else.

[00:26:23] Diabetes.

[00:26:24] It's unchecked.

[00:26:25] Hyperglycemia.

[00:26:26] Okay.

[00:26:27] So she died of.

[00:26:29] Diabetic ketoacidosis.

[00:26:31] Okay.

[00:26:32] Brother.

[00:26:33] Smoker.

[00:26:34] Had.

[00:26:35] You know.

[00:26:36] At 40 years old.

[00:26:37] Roughly.

[00:26:38] Had bypass surgery.

[00:26:39] On one of the arteries.

[00:26:40] In his leg.

[00:26:41] 45.

[00:26:42] And.

[00:26:43] You say to yourself.

[00:26:45] Why.

[00:26:45] You know.

[00:26:46] Would somebody 45 years old.

[00:26:47] Need that kind of surgery.

[00:26:48] Well.

[00:26:49] It's because it's.

[00:26:50] Built up.

[00:26:51] Plaque in his arteries.

[00:26:52] In his leg.

[00:26:52] But guess what.

[00:26:52] If it's built up plaque there.

[00:26:54] It's built up in his heart.

[00:26:55] No one ever checked his heart.

[00:26:57] Okay.

[00:26:59] Brother.

[00:27:00] The oldest brother.

[00:27:01] Okay.

[00:27:02] Who died in 2012.

[00:27:02] Was it AIDS.

[00:27:03] I mean.

[00:27:04] You know.

[00:27:04] I will tell you here.

[00:27:05] As I sit here today.

[00:27:06] I have not seen.

[00:27:08] Personally.

[00:27:08] A case of AIDS.

[00:27:10] And I've worked in a.

[00:27:11] Very very busy environment.

[00:27:12] In health care.

[00:27:13] All my life.

[00:27:14] I haven't seen anybody with AIDS.

[00:27:15] In over 20 years.

[00:27:18] I've seen lots of people with HIV.

[00:27:19] But they walk around.

[00:27:20] Looking like you and I.

[00:27:21] Just take their medicines.

[00:27:23] Well.

[00:27:24] He wouldn't do that.

[00:27:24] Because guess what.

[00:27:25] He came from a small town.

[00:27:26] We both grew up in.

[00:27:28] Where he remembers.

[00:27:29] Dad.

[00:27:30] And grandfather.

[00:27:31] And them talking about.

[00:27:32] About the Tuskegee Project.

[00:27:34] Okay.

[00:27:35] He remembers that.

[00:27:36] Where black men.

[00:27:37] Were did.

[00:27:37] With syphilis.

[00:27:38] Were denied.

[00:27:39] Life-saving.

[00:27:40] Curative.

[00:27:41] Penicillin.

[00:27:43] That happened.

[00:27:45] And.

[00:27:45] I didn't.

[00:27:46] I didn't know this.

[00:27:47] Until after he died.

[00:27:48] And some of his friends.

[00:27:50] Came to the funeral.

[00:27:51] And he said.

[00:27:52] You know.

[00:27:53] I'm surprised you guys.

[00:27:54] Didn't know that he had AIDS.

[00:27:56] We tried for years.

[00:27:57] To talk him into taking the medicines.

[00:27:59] And he wouldn't do it.

[00:28:00] You know.

[00:28:01] Matt Johnson was diagnosed with HIV in 1991.

[00:28:04] At that time.

[00:28:05] Statistically.

[00:28:06] He was going to die.

[00:28:06] Within the next five years.

[00:28:08] And he doesn't even.

[00:28:09] He has no.

[00:28:10] He has no.

[00:28:11] As far as I know.

[00:28:11] He has absolutely.

[00:28:12] Non-detectable disease.

[00:28:13] The virus is probably.

[00:28:14] So dormant.

[00:28:15] It doesn't even matter.

[00:28:16] It's floating around.

[00:28:17] Somewhere stuck in one of his neurons.

[00:28:19] Like chicken pox.

[00:28:20] Or some of these other.

[00:28:21] Herpes.

[00:28:22] Or some of the viral things.

[00:28:23] That get stuck in our bodies.

[00:28:24] That never manifest themselves.

[00:28:26] So.

[00:28:28] The older sister.

[00:28:29] Janice.

[00:28:30] She went to get a pap smear.

[00:28:34] On her birthday.

[00:28:35] In 2014.

[00:28:36] March.

[00:28:38] This is a really tragic story.

[00:28:40] March.

[00:28:40] 2014.

[00:28:43] March 18th.

[00:28:44] I called her on her birthday.

[00:28:46] Well.

[00:28:46] No.

[00:28:46] She had gone.

[00:28:47] Three days earlier.

[00:28:48] And I called her on her birthday.

[00:28:49] Which was a Friday.

[00:28:50] If I'm not mistaken.

[00:28:51] Just to wish her happy birthday.

[00:28:52] Oh.

[00:28:53] I went in.

[00:28:53] You know.

[00:28:53] I went to get my pap smear.

[00:28:54] They just called me.

[00:28:55] And they see some abnormal cells.

[00:28:57] On my pap smear.

[00:28:58] I said.

[00:28:58] Okay.

[00:28:59] All right.

[00:28:59] Well.

[00:29:00] Let's.

[00:29:00] Let's get on it.

[00:29:01] Let's figure out.

[00:29:02] What.

[00:29:03] We.

[00:29:03] We're going to do about this.

[00:29:05] Okay.

[00:29:07] And I'm.

[00:29:07] I'm in Atlanta.

[00:29:08] I was on faculty.

[00:29:10] At Emory University.

[00:29:11] Emory Winship Cancer Center.

[00:29:12] One of the top ones in the country.

[00:29:14] Probably in the world.

[00:29:15] I know all these people.

[00:29:17] And.

[00:29:17] We can get you in.

[00:29:18] And get you diagnosed.

[00:29:19] And get you on.

[00:29:20] Get you on the proper treatment plan.

[00:29:22] Well.

[00:29:23] That was March.

[00:29:24] And I.

[00:29:25] You know.

[00:29:25] I said.

[00:29:25] Well.

[00:29:25] Get me the records.

[00:29:26] I said.

[00:29:26] I don't really need the records.

[00:29:28] I said.

[00:29:28] I just need you to come here.

[00:29:29] Find some time.

[00:29:30] You can stay at my house.

[00:29:31] In Atlanta.

[00:29:33] And we'll figure out a time.

[00:29:34] I'll get you an appointment.

[00:29:35] Before you even come.

[00:29:36] You can stay here.

[00:29:37] And.

[00:29:38] And we'll get the ball rolling.

[00:29:39] Well.

[00:29:39] She didn't have.

[00:29:40] Insurance at that time.

[00:29:41] I said.

[00:29:41] Oh.

[00:29:41] Don't worry about that.

[00:29:43] We'll figure it out.

[00:29:45] I said.

[00:29:45] They're not going to deny you care.

[00:29:48] And we have.

[00:29:49] I said.

[00:29:50] I know people.

[00:29:50] Let me help.

[00:29:51] Okay.

[00:29:53] She was very meek.

[00:29:54] Kind of person.

[00:29:55] And.

[00:29:56] So she.

[00:29:58] Never got me those records.

[00:29:59] And when she did.

[00:30:00] She sent me something.

[00:30:01] Probably in.

[00:30:02] Early May.

[00:30:04] And you know.

[00:30:04] It was just the administrative.

[00:30:07] Record of when you register in a hospital.

[00:30:09] Or a clinic.

[00:30:09] If it just had all that.

[00:30:11] You know.

[00:30:11] Your name.

[00:30:12] Date.

[00:30:13] Address.

[00:30:14] I was like.

[00:30:15] Janice.

[00:30:15] This is.

[00:30:16] This is not helpful.

[00:30:17] I said.

[00:30:17] I need to know what.

[00:30:18] What we're dealing with.

[00:30:19] But I said.

[00:30:19] More importantly.

[00:30:20] I need to get you here.

[00:30:21] So we can.

[00:30:22] Work on a treatment plan.

[00:30:23] Getting you in to see the right people.

[00:30:26] That's May now.

[00:30:28] So finally.

[00:30:28] She gets in to see a local doctor.

[00:30:30] She ends up having surgery in July.

[00:30:33] Of 2014.

[00:30:35] Surgery.

[00:30:36] Chemotherapy.

[00:30:37] And all that was the plan.

[00:30:38] Man.

[00:30:39] Well.

[00:30:40] The surgeon goes in.

[00:30:40] He removes the ovaries.

[00:30:42] And.

[00:30:42] And uterus.

[00:30:44] But she already had.

[00:30:45] Disease in her liver.

[00:30:46] It had already spread to her liver.

[00:30:48] She didn't know that at the time.

[00:30:50] And she probably never knew it.

[00:30:51] But I found out about it.

[00:30:53] When I started asking questions later on.

[00:30:55] So now.

[00:30:57] So that's all the surgeries you got.

[00:31:00] And so.

[00:31:02] Usually what would happen.

[00:31:04] In these scenarios.

[00:31:05] Is you would.

[00:31:06] Get a.

[00:31:06] In a.

[00:31:07] At Emory Winship in Atlanta.

[00:31:08] Or MD Anderson.

[00:31:09] Or any of the other large cancer centers around the country.

[00:31:12] What would happen is they bring you in.

[00:31:13] They do a multidisciplinary conference.

[00:31:16] All of the specialists talk about you.

[00:31:18] The surgeon.

[00:31:20] The oncologist.

[00:31:21] The radiation people.

[00:31:22] All of those.

[00:31:23] The nurses.

[00:31:24] That are going to be navigating your care.

[00:31:26] Everybody talks about your case.

[00:31:27] They come up with a treatment plan.

[00:31:29] If surgery is involved with it.

[00:31:31] Then usually.

[00:31:32] If you're going to have that surgery.

[00:31:33] Oftentimes.

[00:31:33] They'll go ahead and put in your chemotherapy.

[00:31:35] Access port.

[00:31:36] At the same time.

[00:31:37] Because we know the chemotherapy is going to happen.

[00:31:40] Probably two.

[00:31:41] Three months after.

[00:31:42] If it's not.

[00:31:42] They're going to go ahead and put that chemo port in you.

[00:31:44] Probably within a day or two.

[00:31:46] And so.

[00:31:47] There were significant delays.

[00:31:50] And.

[00:31:51] The fragmented.

[00:31:53] Backwards.

[00:31:54] In a lot of ways.

[00:31:54] Healthcare system didn't help.

[00:31:57] So she got the surgery.

[00:31:59] But they didn't put the chemo port in.

[00:32:00] She didn't get the chemo port till late September.

[00:32:03] The first.

[00:32:04] Time that it was scheduled.

[00:32:06] She went to have it done.

[00:32:07] And it was scheduled with a doctor.

[00:32:09] Who doesn't do the procedure.

[00:32:11] So she goes back again.

[00:32:14] Finally gets this thing put in late September.

[00:32:17] Gets around the chemotherapy in October.

[00:32:20] By Thanksgiving.

[00:32:21] Just prior to Thanksgiving of 2014.

[00:32:23] She's in the hospital with pelvic sepsis.

[00:32:25] So what that means is.

[00:32:27] Is that.

[00:32:28] The suture line where the surgeon took her uterus out.

[00:32:31] Was basically falling out.

[00:32:33] Through her pelvis.

[00:32:34] Horrible way to die.

[00:32:36] The smell was unbelievable.

[00:32:37] Unbelievable.

[00:32:40] And it was just tragic.

[00:32:42] So she ended up dying.

[00:32:44] On December the 26th.

[00:32:47] 2014.

[00:32:48] The day after Christmas.

[00:32:51] And.

[00:32:52] So when I think about all these stories.

[00:32:54] And I think about.

[00:32:55] The common thread.

[00:32:56] It's a lack of access.

[00:32:57] Access to information.

[00:32:59] Access to resources.

[00:33:00] Access to experts.

[00:33:01] Professional services.

[00:33:03] Whatever you can.

[00:33:03] Whatever you can imagine.

[00:33:04] Imagine.

[00:33:05] And that is why Oasis exists.

[00:33:08] And we spell Oasis.

[00:33:09] O-A-C-E-S.

[00:33:11] And that is an omnipresent.

[00:33:13] Meaning everywhere.

[00:33:15] Access.

[00:33:16] To care.

[00:33:17] Experts.

[00:33:18] And services.

[00:33:20] Oasis.

[00:33:21] Is going to become the largest.

[00:33:23] Platform.

[00:33:24] For accessing.

[00:33:26] Healthcare.

[00:33:27] Doctors.

[00:33:28] Providers.

[00:33:29] Nurses.

[00:33:29] And services.

[00:33:30] In the world.

[00:33:31] That is my goal.

[00:33:33] That is the mission.

[00:33:34] That we are on.

[00:33:36] Because in 19.

[00:33:38] Or in 2024.

[00:33:41] That is the type.

[00:33:42] Of technology.

[00:33:43] And resources.

[00:33:44] That we have.

[00:33:45] Not only in this country.

[00:33:46] But globally.

[00:33:47] To get people.

[00:33:48] To the right people.

[00:33:49] At the right time.

[00:33:50] When they need it the most.

[00:33:51] On their terms.

[00:33:52] On their terms.

[00:33:54] So at Oasis.

[00:33:55] We're building a platform.

[00:33:57] We're building a platform.

[00:33:58] Of information first.

[00:34:01] We're building a platform.

[00:34:02] Whereby patients can go.

[00:34:04] And just ask for help.

[00:34:06] How do you.

[00:34:06] You know.

[00:34:06] Ask a question.

[00:34:07] How do you navigate this?

[00:34:08] What.

[00:34:09] What's.

[00:34:09] You know.

[00:34:09] Take a course.

[00:34:10] I mean.

[00:34:11] Just go through.

[00:34:12] And learn about something.

[00:34:14] And this isn't WebMD.

[00:34:15] And that's no.

[00:34:16] No fault of them.

[00:34:17] But we're not going to be.

[00:34:17] Some commercialized.

[00:34:20] Sales platform.

[00:34:21] For the latest drug.

[00:34:22] Or Bayer aspirin.

[00:34:23] Or whatever.

[00:34:24] We're going to be about people.

[00:34:25] Okay.

[00:34:27] We're going to be about.

[00:34:27] Getting them to the right resources.

[00:34:30] Again.

[00:34:30] At the right time.

[00:34:31] And getting them the right services.

[00:34:32] That they need.

[00:34:32] And helping them navigate this system.

[00:34:36] Pointing them in the right direction.

[00:34:37] How are we going to do that?

[00:34:38] Well.

[00:34:39] Building a platform is one thing.

[00:34:40] You've got to have.

[00:34:41] Something there that people want to.

[00:34:44] Consume.

[00:34:45] Whether it's information.

[00:34:46] Or service.

[00:34:47] Or those kinds of things.

[00:34:47] But the unique part of our.

[00:34:49] Our service is going to be the fact that.

[00:34:52] Every person who comes on there.

[00:34:54] Who subscribes to our Oasis.

[00:34:56] Is going to be assigned a nurse.

[00:34:58] Yeah.

[00:34:59] Personal kind of nurse.

[00:35:00] If you want to.

[00:35:00] You'll be able to connect with them online.

[00:35:02] And just talk to them about.

[00:35:04] What it is you need.

[00:35:04] And where you're trying to go.

[00:35:05] We may not be your.

[00:35:06] We're not planning to be your treating provider.

[00:35:08] Although we do have.

[00:35:09] Access to our telemedicine platform.

[00:35:11] Which is called Primo Health Partners.

[00:35:13] To be able to do that.

[00:35:15] But.

[00:35:15] You get a diagnosis of cancer.

[00:35:17] This happens.

[00:35:18] Every single day.

[00:35:19] It's probably happening as we speak right now.

[00:35:20] Somebody's in some doctor's office somewhere.

[00:35:22] Getting a bad report.

[00:35:25] And right now.

[00:35:26] They're not consuming the information.

[00:35:29] They're just in show.

[00:35:30] Doctors sitting there talking.

[00:35:32] And perhaps clicking on the computer.

[00:35:33] Or whatever.

[00:35:35] They're going to walk out of that office.

[00:35:37] They're going to go home.

[00:35:38] Sit down.

[00:35:40] And all of a sudden.

[00:35:41] Now the fog is going to clear.

[00:35:43] And now they're going to have questions.

[00:35:44] Well.

[00:35:45] You can call that doctor's office back.

[00:35:48] And they'll give you the.

[00:35:50] We'll call you back in 24 hours.

[00:35:51] It'll be very fragmented.

[00:35:53] It'll be very, very pointed.

[00:35:55] It'll give just the information that you asked for.

[00:35:58] Okay.

[00:36:00] But what it won't be.

[00:36:02] Is what you really need.

[00:36:04] Is a reprise.

[00:36:05] Okay.

[00:36:07] You need to play this back.

[00:36:09] Now that the fog is clear.

[00:36:11] And understand.

[00:36:12] Oasis is going to provide you that place.

[00:36:14] Let's play it back.

[00:36:16] Eventually as we develop out our platform.

[00:36:18] We'll be able to connect you directly with experts.

[00:36:20] On our system.

[00:36:22] We'll be able to download your records.

[00:36:24] From wherever they may be.

[00:36:26] Cloud based record storage.

[00:36:28] Is one of the facilitators.

[00:36:30] Of what we're going to be doing.

[00:36:33] There's lots of.

[00:36:34] In fact most people don't know this.

[00:36:36] But when you sign those papers.

[00:36:37] To be seen in any healthcare facility.

[00:36:39] The small print says that your.

[00:36:41] Your records are going to be housed in the cloud.

[00:36:44] Okay.

[00:36:44] Well that's a good thing.

[00:36:46] Because the reality is.

[00:36:48] That's going to facilitate.

[00:36:50] Interoperability.

[00:36:51] People from.

[00:36:52] Anywhere.

[00:36:53] Providers that is.

[00:36:55] Healthcare.

[00:36:56] Specific.

[00:36:57] Relevant healthcare personnel.

[00:36:59] Be able to go and get those records.

[00:37:02] We'll be able to create a script for you.

[00:37:03] Of everything that's going on with you.

[00:37:06] And have you be able to read it.

[00:37:07] Understand it.

[00:37:08] Watch it evolve.

[00:37:10] Check out the trends.

[00:37:10] And then hand that over to an expert.

[00:37:12] Who can.

[00:37:13] In that.

[00:37:14] Reprise.

[00:37:15] Or that encore.

[00:37:16] Visit.

[00:37:18] You'll be able to kind of.

[00:37:19] You know.

[00:37:21] Sit down.

[00:37:21] Calm.

[00:37:22] Clear head.

[00:37:23] Think it through.

[00:37:24] And get the answers that you need.

[00:37:26] That's oasis.

[00:37:27] So if you think about an oasis.

[00:37:28] In terms of.

[00:37:29] Oasis.

[00:37:29] As an oasis.

[00:37:30] Is this.

[00:37:31] This.

[00:37:31] This.

[00:37:32] This beautiful oasis.

[00:37:33] This beautiful place of calm.

[00:37:35] And serenity.

[00:37:36] In the middle of what?

[00:37:37] A hot burning desert.

[00:37:39] Which is pretty chaotic.

[00:37:41] Outside of that oasis.

[00:37:44] And so.

[00:37:45] We change the name of our oasis.

[00:37:47] Just to create curiosity.

[00:37:49] And also differentiate.

[00:37:50] What we're doing.

[00:37:51] But also create.

[00:37:52] Some meaning behind it.

[00:37:54] So we spell our oasis.

[00:37:55] O-A-C-E-S.

[00:37:58] And again.

[00:37:59] Omnipresent access.

[00:38:01] To care.

[00:38:02] Experts.

[00:38:03] And services.

[00:38:03] As it relates to health.

[00:38:05] Health care.

[00:38:06] Health care.

[00:38:06] Experts.

[00:38:07] Health services.

[00:38:08] So that's.

[00:38:09] Where we're going with our platform.

[00:38:12] We're going to be very unique.

[00:38:13] And different.

[00:38:13] Because.

[00:38:14] We're adding the.

[00:38:16] The.

[00:38:16] The personal touch.

[00:38:18] Being able to sit down.

[00:38:20] This is.

[00:38:20] This is so important.

[00:38:22] Yes.

[00:38:22] And so need.

[00:38:23] Not only for the patient.

[00:38:24] But for the families as well.

[00:38:26] Oh yes.

[00:38:26] That do not understand.

[00:38:27] What is going on.

[00:38:28] With the patient.

[00:38:29] That's correct.

[00:38:30] That is correct.

[00:38:31] Yes.

[00:38:32] That is.

[00:38:32] That is definitely correct.

[00:38:33] And.

[00:38:34] And we want to keep it personalized.

[00:38:35] But we also want to maximize.

[00:38:38] The efficiency provided by.

[00:38:40] The use of technology.

[00:38:42] AI.

[00:38:42] We'll be.

[00:38:43] Employing some AI technology.

[00:38:44] At some point in the future.

[00:38:46] On our platform.

[00:38:46] We won't do it right off the bat.

[00:38:48] But that's going to be a big part.

[00:38:49] Of what we do.

[00:38:50] And we're not talking about.

[00:38:51] The AI chat bot.

[00:38:52] But we're talking about.

[00:38:53] The AI.

[00:38:54] AI.

[00:38:54] To help.

[00:38:55] Get your information.

[00:38:56] Together.

[00:38:57] And rationalized.

[00:38:59] In a way that makes it very.

[00:39:00] Very easy to review.

[00:39:01] For a provider.

[00:39:02] And easy for you to interpret.

[00:39:04] And understand.

[00:39:04] What have.

[00:39:05] Your personal experiences.

[00:39:08] Taught you.

[00:39:09] About resilience.

[00:39:10] And the importance.

[00:39:11] Of advocating.

[00:39:12] For yourself.

[00:39:14] Or a loved one.

[00:39:15] In the healthcare system.

[00:39:17] Yeah.

[00:39:18] Yeah.

[00:39:18] Yeah.

[00:39:19] That's a very.

[00:39:20] Very important.

[00:39:21] So now.

[00:39:21] We've talked about.

[00:39:22] The personal.

[00:39:23] Kind of family thing.

[00:39:24] But then we can talk about.

[00:39:25] The personal.

[00:39:25] Aspect of that.

[00:39:27] In terms of.

[00:39:29] Of.

[00:39:30] You know.

[00:39:30] My experiences in life.

[00:39:31] Okay.

[00:39:32] You know.

[00:39:33] The.

[00:39:33] The first C minus.

[00:39:36] In.

[00:39:36] In chemistry class.

[00:39:38] But I also.

[00:39:39] And I'm also.

[00:39:40] Reservist.

[00:39:41] Army reservist.

[00:39:41] 35 years.

[00:39:43] Retired in 2019.

[00:39:46] Did five tours.

[00:39:48] Abroad.

[00:39:49] And you.

[00:39:49] You just imagine.

[00:39:51] Okay.

[00:39:51] Let's play that one back.

[00:39:54] So in 2003.

[00:39:55] I got my first deployment.

[00:39:56] On Christmas day.

[00:39:57] 2003.

[00:39:58] I had boots on the ground.

[00:40:00] In.

[00:40:00] Al-Assad.

[00:40:01] Iraq.

[00:40:02] In the middle of a war zone.

[00:40:04] That's Christmas day.

[00:40:05] 2003.

[00:40:07] The things that I saw there.

[00:40:08] You cannot unsee.

[00:40:10] Okay.

[00:40:12] And people say that sometimes.

[00:40:14] But it's really interesting.

[00:40:15] Because.

[00:40:16] There are things that I know.

[00:40:17] I saw.

[00:40:17] That I can't tell you.

[00:40:18] Specifically.

[00:40:19] That I saw it.

[00:40:20] Isn't that kind of weird?

[00:40:22] I didn't know this.

[00:40:22] Until I came back.

[00:40:25] And you know.

[00:40:26] I started suffering.

[00:40:27] From all these nightmares.

[00:40:29] And you know.

[00:40:29] And I would wake up.

[00:40:31] In the middle of the night.

[00:40:31] Heart pounding.

[00:40:32] Breathing heavy.

[00:40:33] And sweating.

[00:40:34] Like what?

[00:40:34] My wife's like.

[00:40:35] What is wrong with you?

[00:40:36] I said.

[00:40:36] I don't know.

[00:40:37] I don't know.

[00:40:38] I didn't know.

[00:40:39] Until years later.

[00:40:40] I was very likely.

[00:40:41] Suffering from PTSD.

[00:40:44] You know.

[00:40:44] I was just operating.

[00:40:45] And going about my business.

[00:40:47] And then.

[00:40:47] You know.

[00:40:48] When I went through.

[00:40:49] You know.

[00:40:50] Counseling.

[00:40:50] And therapy.

[00:40:50] And all these things.

[00:40:51] You know.

[00:40:52] I remember the.

[00:40:52] The.

[00:40:53] The.

[00:40:53] Psycho.

[00:40:53] I was.

[00:40:53] I was telling her.

[00:40:54] These.

[00:40:54] I said.

[00:40:55] I don't understand this.

[00:40:55] I said.

[00:40:56] You know.

[00:40:56] We have this impression.

[00:40:57] Of people who suffer from.

[00:40:59] Psychological trauma.

[00:41:00] That they're out on the street.

[00:41:01] You know.

[00:41:02] The lab.

[00:41:02] Especially the vets.

[00:41:03] You know.

[00:41:03] They're drug addicts.

[00:41:04] Drunks.

[00:41:05] You know.

[00:41:06] Spitting sermons.

[00:41:07] That are incomprehensible.

[00:41:09] On the corner somewhere.

[00:41:10] No.

[00:41:11] She said.

[00:41:11] No.

[00:41:12] In fact.

[00:41:12] That's not the majority.

[00:41:14] She said.

[00:41:14] The majority look just like you.

[00:41:15] They're high performing.

[00:41:16] But they know that they're not.

[00:41:18] Performing.

[00:41:20] In a very.

[00:41:21] Very helpful.

[00:41:23] Mental way.

[00:41:25] And she said.

[00:41:25] In your case.

[00:41:26] It's pretty easy to.

[00:41:28] To understand.

[00:41:29] She said.

[00:41:29] You're a surgeon.

[00:41:30] Right?

[00:41:31] Yeah.

[00:41:32] She said.

[00:41:32] Okay.

[00:41:32] So you get up early in the morning.

[00:41:34] You go to work.

[00:41:34] You take care of all these people.

[00:41:36] And.

[00:41:37] So.

[00:41:37] What does that.

[00:41:38] What does that require?

[00:41:39] That requires vigilance.

[00:41:42] I was like.

[00:41:43] Oh.

[00:41:43] Okay.

[00:41:43] I was like.

[00:41:44] Yeah.

[00:41:44] Sure.

[00:41:44] I was like.

[00:41:45] Because.

[00:41:45] You know.

[00:41:45] People.

[00:41:46] What kind of day.

[00:41:46] Are you having?

[00:41:47] ABC.

[00:41:47] Well.

[00:41:48] Surgeons have to have a days.

[00:41:49] Because we have BC or D or E days.

[00:41:52] Some people may not be in.

[00:41:54] May not work.

[00:41:55] I always say to that.

[00:41:56] To that end.

[00:41:57] The biggest lie.

[00:41:58] Has ever been told.

[00:41:59] That patient comes first.

[00:42:00] That's a lie.

[00:42:02] Don't believe that.

[00:42:03] If healthcare workers and providers.

[00:42:05] Don't come first.

[00:42:05] They cannot be prepared.

[00:42:07] To take care of you.

[00:42:08] You gotta take care of yourself first.

[00:42:11] So that's one thing about resilience.

[00:42:13] And understanding.

[00:42:14] And one.

[00:42:15] In my experience.

[00:42:16] Going through these things.

[00:42:17] I didn't understand it.

[00:42:19] But my vigilance.

[00:42:21] For what I was doing.

[00:42:22] When I was caring.

[00:42:23] It was.

[00:42:23] It was matching up to the activity.

[00:42:26] So my vigilance.

[00:42:27] Hypervigilance.

[00:42:28] In some ways.

[00:42:28] Was matching up.

[00:42:30] With what I needed to do.

[00:42:31] In terms of focus.

[00:42:32] And taking care of patients.

[00:42:34] The problem is.

[00:42:35] Is that vigilance.

[00:42:37] Isn't needed at midnight.

[00:42:38] And so.

[00:42:39] The.

[00:42:39] Your brain is turned on.

[00:42:42] When it should.

[00:42:42] Turned on to that vigilance.

[00:42:44] When it should be turned off.

[00:42:45] For other people.

[00:42:46] It results in panic attacks.

[00:42:47] And all kinds of other weird things.

[00:42:49] Okay.

[00:42:50] But.

[00:42:51] That's the disconnect.

[00:42:52] In somebody.

[00:42:53] Who has that kind of imbalance.

[00:42:55] But resilience.

[00:42:57] And I will tell you.

[00:42:57] And here's.

[00:42:58] Here's another good thing.

[00:42:59] And I'll just.

[00:42:59] Get this.

[00:43:00] Your question.

[00:43:01] Back to the idea of Oasis.

[00:43:03] An empowered patient.

[00:43:05] Is much more likely.

[00:43:07] One who comes into your office.

[00:43:08] With a list of questions.

[00:43:10] And they've done their research.

[00:43:11] On their condition.

[00:43:12] Is much more likely to do better.

[00:43:14] Regardless of what the condition is.

[00:43:16] Than one who is.

[00:43:18] Stressed out.

[00:43:18] Has no information.

[00:43:20] And is solely relying upon.

[00:43:22] A symptom.

[00:43:23] A very chaotic.

[00:43:24] Fragmented system.

[00:43:25] To care for them.

[00:43:27] And you know.

[00:43:28] I'll tell you.

[00:43:28] I love it.

[00:43:29] When patients come into my office.

[00:43:30] And they've got.

[00:43:31] Read.

[00:43:31] They've done their research.

[00:43:32] They've gone down Google.

[00:43:33] Whatever.

[00:43:34] Great.

[00:43:35] Because that tells me.

[00:43:36] You're engaged.

[00:43:38] Versus what I get often.

[00:43:40] Which is.

[00:43:40] Oh well you.

[00:43:41] I don't.

[00:43:41] Well tell me what's going on with you.

[00:43:43] Tell me your story.

[00:43:44] Oh are you.

[00:43:44] It's in the chart.

[00:43:45] You should know.

[00:43:46] Oh no I don't.

[00:43:46] Guess what.

[00:43:47] I read.

[00:43:48] Hundreds of charts a week.

[00:43:50] And I try not to keep.

[00:43:52] Many of them.

[00:43:52] Beyond.

[00:43:53] The very important things.

[00:43:55] Top of mind.

[00:43:56] So no.

[00:43:57] I want to.

[00:43:57] I know what the chart says.

[00:43:58] But I want to hear from you.

[00:43:59] I want to know your story.

[00:44:02] So the resilience.

[00:44:04] So you think about that.

[00:44:05] You think about going through.

[00:44:08] You know.

[00:44:08] This whole traumatic thing.

[00:44:09] And then you think about the people.

[00:44:10] That I'm taking care of every day.

[00:44:14] But again.

[00:44:16] Underlying and underneath.

[00:44:17] All of that.

[00:44:19] Was just this appreciation.

[00:44:22] For.

[00:44:23] For humanity.

[00:44:25] Appreciation for the gift.

[00:44:26] That I've been given.

[00:44:30] Appreciation for the difference.

[00:44:31] That I can make.

[00:44:32] I'm humbled by that.

[00:44:34] You know.

[00:44:35] I just have somebody.

[00:44:35] Asked me the other day.

[00:44:36] Said oh you.

[00:44:37] You know.

[00:44:37] Are you.

[00:44:38] Do you have this.

[00:44:40] You know.

[00:44:41] I guess if you will.

[00:44:41] God complex.

[00:44:44] I said.

[00:44:44] Sure I do.

[00:44:45] I have this God complex.

[00:44:47] And I thank God every day.

[00:44:48] For giving me the complex.

[00:44:51] Give me this complicated line.

[00:44:53] Yeah.

[00:44:53] Thank you.

[00:44:54] But no.

[00:44:55] It's.

[00:44:55] It's.

[00:44:56] It's.

[00:44:56] It's.

[00:44:56] It's really important.

[00:45:01] Resilience requires some degree of humility.

[00:45:05] A tremendous.

[00:45:07] Dose of humility.

[00:45:08] And understanding who you are.

[00:45:10] And.

[00:45:10] And then having commitment to the purpose.

[00:45:13] And.

[00:45:13] And.

[00:45:14] And.

[00:45:15] And.

[00:45:15] And satisfaction.

[00:45:16] If you will.

[00:45:17] With whatever you're stationed in life.

[00:45:18] Especially if it's one that you've created.

[00:45:20] I created all of this.

[00:45:22] And it's just.

[00:45:24] It.

[00:45:24] You know.

[00:45:24] And it's.

[00:45:25] It's a joy to be here.

[00:45:26] As a friend.

[00:45:26] A buddy of mine asked me the other day.

[00:45:28] Why.

[00:45:28] Are you in class.

[00:45:29] Taking a class at nine o'clock.

[00:45:31] On a Wednesday night.

[00:45:32] Because I want to.

[00:45:32] I like it.

[00:45:34] I said.

[00:45:34] What else would I be doing.

[00:45:35] Sitting here watching.

[00:45:36] Netflix.

[00:45:37] Or a boring football game.

[00:45:38] With these.

[00:45:38] These.

[00:45:39] These teams that don't matter.

[00:45:40] In the playoffs.

[00:45:41] I said.

[00:45:42] What else would I be doing.

[00:45:44] I'd be doing this.

[00:45:44] Or reading a book perhaps.

[00:45:46] Or vegging out on.

[00:45:48] A documentary or something.

[00:45:50] So.

[00:45:51] The humility.

[00:45:55] Which has led to.

[00:45:56] Sort of just a respect for humanity.

[00:45:59] And I think those are the foundations of resilience.

[00:46:01] And that's why you can.

[00:46:02] You can have.

[00:46:03] Go through a lot of different things.

[00:46:06] And.

[00:46:06] And.

[00:46:07] And have those things.

[00:46:09] Not.

[00:46:10] Crush you.

[00:46:11] Or not.

[00:46:12] Not knock you off.

[00:46:14] Off your pathway.

[00:46:17] Dr. Cooper.

[00:46:18] If you could.

[00:46:20] Deliver.

[00:46:21] One message.

[00:46:23] Only one.

[00:46:24] To every patient.

[00:46:26] And health care provider.

[00:46:28] Turning right now.

[00:46:29] What would it be?

[00:46:31] For the patients.

[00:46:32] I would say this.

[00:46:34] Trust yourself first.

[00:46:36] Trust yourself first.

[00:46:39] Don't give up.

[00:46:41] Never stop fighting.

[00:46:43] But you got to trust your instincts.

[00:46:45] Trust yourself.

[00:46:46] For providers.

[00:46:48] And I've seen many of them.

[00:46:50] I know many of them.

[00:46:51] Treat yourself first.

[00:46:54] I.

[00:46:55] Am in hospitals.

[00:46:57] Almost every single day.

[00:47:00] And.

[00:47:01] I come in.

[00:47:02] Contact.

[00:47:03] Almost every single day.

[00:47:05] And I just.

[00:47:06] This is reality.

[00:47:08] I'm not.

[00:47:08] It's not hyperbole.

[00:47:09] With a miserable person.

[00:47:11] Working in that environment.

[00:47:13] You can just tell.

[00:47:14] I mean.

[00:47:15] You.

[00:47:15] You know.

[00:47:16] The energy.

[00:47:17] And oftentimes.

[00:47:18] These are doctors.

[00:47:19] And.

[00:47:20] Some of them.

[00:47:20] I worked with for years.

[00:47:22] And they're still the same.

[00:47:26] You know.

[00:47:27] Angry.

[00:47:28] Stressed out.

[00:47:30] Um.

[00:47:31] You can't deliver care that way.

[00:47:33] You can't deliver the best care.

[00:47:34] I don't care what your outcomes are.

[00:47:37] Um.

[00:47:38] You just can't do it.

[00:47:39] And at the end of the day.

[00:47:41] If there's imbalance in one place.

[00:47:43] There's imbalance in another place.

[00:47:45] So for providers.

[00:47:47] I would say.

[00:47:47] You got to take care of yourself first.

[00:47:49] And.

[00:47:50] And humble yourself.

[00:47:52] Um.

[00:47:53] You hear a lot about physician burnout.

[00:47:56] There are a lot of things that are happening.

[00:47:58] I think.

[00:47:59] There are.

[00:48:00] There are.

[00:48:01] There are.

[00:48:01] Influencing that.

[00:48:04] But.

[00:48:07] I think.

[00:48:08] What happens to us.

[00:48:09] Largely is what we allow to happen to us.

[00:48:13] If you don't allow that.

[00:48:15] It won't happen to you.

[00:48:16] Even if you're not in a great work environment.

[00:48:20] How you show up.

[00:48:22] And the energy that you bring.

[00:48:26] Largely determines.

[00:48:28] What you're going to get out of.

[00:48:29] Any situation.

[00:48:31] And so.

[00:48:33] Complex.

[00:48:34] Complex message.

[00:48:35] But for patients.

[00:48:36] Trust yourself.

[00:48:38] Um.

[00:48:38] We get a lot of calls.

[00:48:40] Even to our telemedicine site.

[00:48:42] You know.

[00:48:43] Just.

[00:48:43] I get a lot of calls.

[00:48:44] I'm very gregarious.

[00:48:45] I've got probably seven.

[00:48:46] Eight thousand.

[00:48:47] Numbers in my phone.

[00:48:48] So people just randomly tell you.

[00:48:49] Hey.

[00:48:50] Do you know a doctor who can do this?

[00:48:51] Yeah.

[00:48:52] Sure.

[00:48:52] I know somebody.

[00:48:54] Um.

[00:48:55] And so.

[00:48:57] They trusted me.

[00:48:58] And so to some extent.

[00:49:00] We want to be able to build that trust with them.

[00:49:03] They have to trust themselves first.

[00:49:04] Don't give up.

[00:49:06] Keep.

[00:49:06] Keep looking for whatever it is you're looking for.

[00:49:10] It's out there.

[00:49:12] In terms of the type of health care providers and services that you're looking for.

[00:49:17] It's out there.

[00:49:18] We want to provide you with a place.

[00:49:20] Of trust.

[00:49:21] Trust.

[00:49:22] That you can find that.

[00:49:25] Perhaps in some cases even.

[00:49:27] Um.

[00:49:28] To be treated.

[00:49:29] Uh.

[00:49:29] To the extent that.

[00:49:31] Those things could be treated in a.

[00:49:33] In a.

[00:49:34] Virtual environment.

[00:49:35] Telemedicine for example.

[00:49:38] You've.

[00:49:39] You've shared.

[00:49:40] Um.

[00:49:41] Such powerful stories today.

[00:49:43] I know.

[00:49:44] I'm going to be thinking about them for a while.

[00:49:46] And I'm pretty sure our listeners will.

[00:49:49] Um.

[00:49:49] So what.

[00:49:50] What can listeners expect.

[00:49:52] In the future episodes of the care oasis.

[00:49:55] Oh yeah.

[00:49:56] So today.

[00:49:57] It's just an intro.

[00:49:58] This is our first segue.

[00:50:00] Uh.

[00:50:00] Give you a little bit of insight into what we're going to be doing.

[00:50:02] And we're going to be breaking it down.

[00:50:03] We'll be talking about.

[00:50:04] How to access.

[00:50:06] How to access.

[00:50:07] The system.

[00:50:08] How to.

[00:50:09] Find the right doctor for you.

[00:50:11] How to navigate.

[00:50:14] We'll talk specifically about.

[00:50:17] Some.

[00:50:17] Some.

[00:50:18] Conditions.

[00:50:19] Perhaps.

[00:50:20] But it's really going to focus.

[00:50:22] Largely on.

[00:50:24] Accessing.

[00:50:25] We're going to.

[00:50:25] We're going to.

[00:50:26] We're going to beat that.

[00:50:27] You're going to get sick of talking about it.

[00:50:28] On the care oasis.

[00:50:30] Um.

[00:50:31] And.

[00:50:31] We want to hear from our listeners.

[00:50:33] We want to hear back.

[00:50:34] And.

[00:50:34] From them.

[00:50:35] In terms of some of the things.

[00:50:36] They would like for us to talk about.

[00:50:38] I know this time of year.

[00:50:39] It's open enrollment for a lot of people.

[00:50:41] Everybody's trying to figure out.

[00:50:42] How do you.

[00:50:43] Find the right insurance provider.

[00:50:45] Uh.

[00:50:45] How do you pick the right plan.

[00:50:47] Uh.

[00:50:47] That they offer you.

[00:50:48] And so.

[00:50:50] Um.

[00:50:50] We'll.

[00:50:50] We'll touch on those kinds of things.

[00:50:53] Uh.

[00:50:53] We'll talk about.

[00:50:55] Um.

[00:50:55] Bias in health care.

[00:50:56] We'll talk about the influence of AI in health care.

[00:50:58] I'm actually taking a course on that right now.

[00:51:00] And how that could potentially.

[00:51:02] Affect your ability.

[00:51:04] Uh.

[00:51:04] To access in a good way.

[00:51:06] I think it's really a good thing honestly.

[00:51:08] So.

[00:51:08] Lots of things on our plate.

[00:51:10] Uh.

[00:51:10] We've got.

[00:51:11] Uh.

[00:51:12] Quite a full slate.

[00:51:13] We'll be coming.

[00:51:14] Back at our audience.

[00:51:16] Frequently.

[00:51:17] To give them more.

[00:51:18] Great nuggets.

[00:51:19] And hopefully they'll go and log on to the website.

[00:51:22] Www.

[00:51:23] Dot.

[00:51:23] Oasis health dot com.

[00:51:25] O.

[00:51:25] A.

[00:51:26] C.

[00:51:26] E.

[00:51:26] S.

[00:51:27] Health dot com.

[00:51:29] Sign up.

[00:51:30] Uh.

[00:51:30] B.

[00:51:31] Um.

[00:51:32] Sign up for our alerts.

[00:51:33] Newsletters.

[00:51:34] Blog.

[00:51:34] Post.

[00:51:35] Information.

[00:51:36] We'll be putting it out there.

[00:51:37] Stay.

[00:51:37] Stay in touch with us.

[00:51:38] And we'll stay in touch with you.

[00:51:40] Before saying goodbye.

[00:51:42] I would love for you to invite everyone.

[00:51:44] To.

[00:51:45] Stay tuned.

[00:51:46] And listen to.

[00:51:47] The next episode of the Carol Aces.

[00:51:49] Oh yeah.

[00:51:50] Absolutely.

[00:51:50] So.

[00:51:51] Stay tuned.

[00:51:52] Come back again.

[00:51:54] Be looking for the next episode.

[00:51:56] Of the Carol Aces.

[00:51:58] Exclusively.

[00:51:59] Hosted by.

[00:52:00] Top.

[00:52:00] Health.

[00:52:01] Care.

[00:52:01] Health.

[00:52:02] And so.

[00:52:02] Top.

[00:52:03] Care.

[00:52:04] Is going to be.

[00:52:05] The media outlet.

[00:52:06] For experts like myself.

[00:52:08] And others.

[00:52:09] Who are interested in taking care of people.

[00:52:11] And giving you the right information.

[00:52:13] All right.

[00:52:13] About all types of conditions.

[00:52:15] So come back.

[00:52:15] Tune in.

[00:52:16] For the next episode.

[00:52:17] Of the Oasis.

[00:52:18] Health.

[00:52:19] Care podcast.

[00:52:19] Health.