We carry out many roles in our lifetime and even throughout each and every day. Some of them we give little thought to, while others may require us to bring our A-Game or may even cause anxiety as we anticipate what’s ahead. That can certainly be the case when our role is the one of “patient.” When we access healthcare, we, as patients, find ourselves part of a care delivery system that also requires some patience on our part. While most health care experiences are hopefully positive ones, there are instances when care delivery falls short somewhere along the way. When this happens, it can add stress and even negatively impact our state of well-being.
That’s where this week’s guest, “Patient Lee” Tomlinson, Award-winning television producer, movie studio executive and owner, former professional athlete, speaker and TED Talk presenter, comes in to revamp the provider / patient experience. Author of the new book, Compassion Heals: From Self-Care to Healthcare, Lee Tomlinson’s life mission is to inspire healthcare professionals to return compassionate care to its rightful place at the forefront of modern healthcare. Doing so will benefit patients, their families, the bottom line; and perhaps most importantly, their often suffering, “burned-out” selves.
But finding this mission wasn’t even remotely easy – in fact, it’s a mission that found him.
Unfortunately, during a recent battle with State 3+ throat cancer, “Patient Lee” became painfully aware of the trauma caused by treatment lacking in compassion –that drove him to the darkest of depths. What saved him from suicide was a tiny, simple, yet powerful act of compassion delivered by a loving doctor and friend. “Patient Lee” is alive today due to the combination of a lifetime of extraordinarily effective medical treatment and deeply kind, compassionate care.
With his renewed zeal for life and newfound purpose, “Patient Lee” created the Compassion Heals Movement. This Movement is designed to reconnect America’s 20 million healthcare professionals with the compassion that got them into healthcare in the first place. Then, do whatever is necessary to prevent the “burn-out” that affects over 60% of these vital caretakers, rendering them unable to provide compassion to their patients, themselves, or anyone else. And finally, once healed of their own distress, to reignite these dedicated professionals, and inspire them to redouble their efforts in providing even more compassion than before – all to better heal their patients and the world.
Wearing nothing but a hospital gown, Lee has already told his story on more than 200 stages around the world! You can learn more about him, purchase his book and connect by visiting him at www.LeeTomlinson.com. Or join his Compassion Heals Movement at www.challenge.LeeTomlinson.com where he invites all of us to commit to purposely providing one additional compassionate act daily for themselves or others, and sharing them for 7 days on his Compassion Heals Challenge website. A must-listen, inspiring power-hour of enlightYOUment for everyone!
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