A City of Hope

I’ve been asked to do a ten-minute presentation tomorrow afternoon. I’ve done hundreds, perhaps thousands of presentations over the past thirty-five years. So, the anxiety I’m experiencing isn’t flowing out of my fear of speaking in front of a group.

It’s the subject and perhaps a little performance anxiety related to the subject material. You see I’ve been asked to describe my experience at the City of Hope. That sounds a lot easier than it is. Especially, if you care. And, I do!

They have rescued me from a chronic almost untreatable disease, and as a result, I care very much.

The difficulty comes from having too much to say. The difficulty flows out of my experience at two other world-class medical facilities and the obvious and immediate differences present.

It starts with the Culture at the City of Hope. They care. They care about everything! Quite literally, everything. No detail is too small to escape scrutiny, review, and remedy if required. It starts with the organization’s leadership and flows down from there. It is so strong I’m sure anyone who doesn’t immerse themselves in it becomes so uncomfortable they leave.

It results in a different vibe: a different feeling that is immediately apparent. People smile! Even the people who are not generally expected to smile. They ask you how you are and then wait for a reply! They wait for a reply because they care.

The care is world-class. The science is world-class. The medicine is world-class because the doctors, nurses, scientists and researchers in a class of their own. Add to that the bonus of the best phlebotomists on the planet: a real blessing when you’re getting poked, stuck and prodded as much as I was, and you have the foundation of a truly positive and powerful experience.

The City of Hope provides hope for everyone that enters through their overwhelming care and concern. Through their programs for patients, families and caregivers. And, through the peace, you can find in their gardens.

In all honesty, the City of Hope was my hope: the hope of my family, and my salvation.