Episode 3 - Between Clinician and Son: Honoring My Father's Final Wishes

The episode examines what happens when deeply held patient autonomy conflicts with a clinician's desire to fight for more time with someone they love.This deeply personal episode features JJ Valdez, a.k.a. JJ The RT, sharing the emotional journey of his father's battle with mantle cell lymphoma, a rare form of cancer diagnosed in late 2018, early 2019. The conversation explores the challenging intersection of being both a healthcare professional and a family member during a medical crisis.JJ recounts how his father's diagnosis began with seemingly innocuous symptoms that eventually led to a cancer diagnosis. The episode chronicles the family's journey through treatment while JJ was simultaneously navigating the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.The discussion delves into profound ethical and emotional territory as JJ describes his father's firm wishes to never be placed on a ventilator, creating an agonizing conflict between his professional knowledge and his role as a devoted son. JJ paints a vivid picture of his relationship with his father—his "superhero"—who raised him as a single parent working multiple jobs while remaining constantly present, coaching his baseball teams, and providing wisdom without formal degrees.Hosts, Mike and Rob, share their own experiences with similar dynamics, discussing how healthcare professionals often default to "solution mode" rather than sitting with emotions when facing family medical crises. They explore the challenge of compartmentalizing clinical knowledge from personal feelings, and whether this tendency to immediately focus on treatment plans is helpful or potentially problematic.