'Transparently Present', in 'Civic Violence: Grappling with Life in the UK'

Abstract

When I was diagnosed with stage IV cancer in 2006 while living in England, I decided to return to the United States for treatment. In the UK, I had faced months of delays and misdiagnoses and learned later that the NHS’s support for sarcoma, a set of rare and often highly aggressive cancers, was sorely underdeveloped at that time, particularly in regions outside London. In the US, I was incredibly fortunate to receive treatments that saved my life, helped me beat the odds, and more than a year later, return to England. Once back, I relied on doctors in both countries, world experts in sarcoma no less, working together across London to California to monitor my recovery.