Director’s Corner: The Power of Positivity: How we make people feel good

Samir N. Khleif, MD
Director, GRU Cancer Center

A sad soul can kill quicker than a germ.
– John Steinbeck

Sometimes the most important piece of a treatment plan is not the administration of medication or a successful surgery, but a word well-spoken in a time of need.

One of the things I’m proudest of is the way our patients often speak about the people they meet at the GRU Cancer Center. They tell us about the unsolicited gestures of kindness. They tell us about the words of encouragement. They tell us that the way they their problems, concerns, victories and setbacks are addressed define their perception of how we do things here.

That’s encouraging, because an important component of treatment is how our patients are, both medically and emotionally, treated.

So while it is sometimes easy to get lost in the details of what we do here, in the minutia of our day-to-day jobs, remember that our patients – past, current and future – aren’t concerned with our various reports, schedules and mandates. They want – need – to feel comfortable, supported and safe. We do great things here, and ensuring that our patients are provided with an environment beneficial for healing is among the most important.