This started with my family
I lost my mother last year to cancer. It was a two-year cycle of doctor visits, treatments, and an incredibly tough road for my entire family.
My sister and I attended every appointment with my mom and dad at MD Anderson. We did our best to keep everyone updated — my uncle, my aunt, the rest of the family — but we were treated by a wonderful team of physicians from various nations, and English wasn't always their first language. My sister and I would come away from the same appointment with completely different interpretations of what the doctor said.
My mom has since passed, and now my 80-year-old father goes to doctor appointments alone. He does his best to relay what they tell him, but important details fall through the cracks. I also have two boys away at school — when they get sick, I have no idea what the doctor told them.
This was a passion project born out of real pain. Keeping everyone updated when a family member is sick can feel like a full-time job — and that's before you factor in masks, accents, and unfamiliar medical terminology.
My sincere hope is that DocNotes helps ease at least some of that stress. No family should have to wonder what the doctor said.