At Navigating Cancer, we’re a team of healthcare and technology veterans committed to helping patients and providers fight cancer better. Many of us have family members who have faced cancer, and a few among us are cancer survivors themselves. A couple times a year, we like to take the opportunity to switch on the employee spotlight and dedicate a blog post to one of our own.
Sam Miller –Software Engineer
What motivates you about working at Navigating Cancer?
Where I worked before, the primary mission was to make more money. That doesn’t resonate with me from a “give back to the world” standpoint.
When I was diagnosed with anaplastic astrocytoma (brain cancer), one of the things I thought was: Have I made the world a better place for anyone? I wanted to give back.
In a lot of ways, my cancer diagnosis was a blessing. It empowered me and brought clarity to my life.
When I was undergoing treatment, it would have been great to have access to a cancer-specific patient portal, where I could get information about my disease and treatments. Some of my doctors didn’t want to tell me how long I have to live. They were worried that I would have a negative perspective. I had to use Google to get the information I wanted.
I was on oral chemotherapy for a year and it was tough. The dosing regimen was really complicated, and managing that on top of my lack of sleep and “chemo-brain” induced fog was challenging. I would have really appreciated an app to help me remember what to take and when.
Also, I feel like I might have been more comfortable if I could have communicated with my doctor on a more regular basis. When I did get to see him, he would suggest ways to manage my symptoms and side effects that helped me to feel better. I would have appreciated a convenient way of getting that information more than just once a month.
What do you enjoy the most about working at Navigating Cancer?
It’s great to work with smart people that have a mission. Like in any work place, the people are going to define the experience.
