Palliative Care: we are the quarterbacks of our care

Waving from the saddle of a camel. Jet skiing to the Statue of Liberty. Climbing the Great Wall of China.

This is what you’ll find Amy Berman—who was diagnosed with stage IV inflammatory breast cancer in October, 2010—doing these days. Since choosing palliative care and remaining in control of her own medical decisions, Amy says she is enjoying a “full life” of work, travel and quality time with loved ones.

“I did something so simple yet so rarely done. I chose the road less taken, and it led to better health, better care, and significantly lower cost,” said Amy in a recent Health Affairs blog post. Amy is a Senior Program Officer at the John J. Hartford Foundation, a proud mother and a staunch advocate of how palliative care can benefit anyone facing serious illness as well as their families. This is Amy’s story, in her own images, as a reminder of how palliative care empowers patients and families to match their goals with the care they receive.

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