Patient advocates help bridge the gap

Leader Post, October 1 2011 -- "You have advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to your liver and to your lungs," the oncologist said in a clipped tone. "You don't have much longer left to live." Mitch Fieldstone (not his real name) had found traces of blood in his stool, and that's why he went to see the doctor. Until then, the retired film executive had never been seriously ill in his life. "I was totally unprepared for the diagnosis," the 68-year-old Montrealer recalled of that day in July 2010. "I didn't expect I'd have something as advanced as that." And Fieldstone also didn't expect to suddenly confront the maze that is Quebec's health-care system: the different departments to visit, all the appointments and tests and the cycles of chemotherapy. Worse, he couldn't shake off the nagging suspicion that perhaps he wasn't receiving the best care. Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Patient+advocates+help+bridge/5486640/story.html#ixzz1bEerfw7P