Do not miss the beautiful beaver moon and its side kick Jupiter this weekend. You can even see the craters it’s so brilliant! The opportunities to be bathed in light are everywhere this season. We converged with the crowds for the Nights of Lights in St.Augustine yesterday, just like all towns across the country, displays abound to delight the young and old. Entering the first settled city from 1565, I follow the circling beam from the the lighthouse and marvel that the US remains a brilliant beacon of hope in the world.

As a cancer specialist I am always profoundly grateful to practice in the US and to work beside many physicians who come here to be trained. They express how much they wish to stay because their countries are light years behind and they want desperately to use their skills. What we achieve is nothing short of remarkable. Sure there is research abroad we tap into, but rolling out the trials and therapies swiftly to patients in the clinic is something healthcare here does very well. When you are challenged, especially with cancer, frequently you start to pray and hard! If you reside in America those prayers are answered daily. Precision medicine includes much of what we talk about here ie: Mab (monoclonal antibodies) immune-therapy, biologics and specialty drugs. It requires specialized testing with genetics and biomarkers to access these new treatments. While we have access to these resources here in the US, most countries- even Canada (where cancer accounts to up to 30 % of all deaths) do not. There are battles to remove barriers to care, but the process is slow.

There is much we take for granted, but having the access to cutting edge medicine we believe is our right. The brightest stars in research are feverishly working to enhance your treatments and insurers are pressured by physicians and organizations to permit these often expensive modalities.

So with the a new day dawning in cancer care, and the month for you to sign up for your health plan for 2024, you know my next mantra: Get the best insurance plan you can afford. Take nothing for granted. You do not want to miss the opportunity for the very best treatments, regardless the disease or disability. This is the USA for heaven’s sake. Be grateful that even in your community- not a university far away, your doctors can provide state of the art care, recognizing that every life is precious. They work feverishly to explore every opportunity to enhance your personal well being.

When you step into the clinic be assured that all measures are brought to bear. And everything changes at warp speed. Your doctors read medical journals daily, converse constantly, research and reach out to others across the country. In short, we take our jobs and your life seriously. Cancer and other diseases may be unwelcome visitors, but that is life. What you need is a team that works for you, insurers who do not deny and a government that is on the patient’s side and makes healthcare a priority. Thank God for all the wonder and magic- of the unique day, the cheer of the season and most importantly your own precious and successful journey. Light it up and be a star!