What if a single decision could change the course of your life? For Douglas, that moment came when the healthcare he relied on was suddenly out of reach. Faced with no clear path to care, he discovered an alternative that would ultimately save his life.
“Following the retirement of my longtime family doctor, I found it difficult to find a reliable new option,” Douglas recalls. “While I was accepted as a new patient at a local walk-in clinic, the lead time for appointments was six to seven weeks. Often there were no openings at all, meaning there was simply no way to get in touch with my doctor.”
This was a major point of frustration for Douglas, who takes his health seriously. At 75, he leads an active, vibrant lifestyle and can often be found skiing or playing tennis with close friends. For him, staying healthy is a priority. “When you get to 70, your health needs to become your job,” he shares. “You need to focus on it. If you don’t, you end up sick.”
When his wife introduced him to Harrison, it was the clinic’s proactive, prevention-focused model that instantly resonated with his deep commitment to wellness. Little did he know, this decision would not only align with his philosophy but would also uncover a serious diagnosis that had been flying under the radar.
The Power of Comprehensive, Personalized Care
Like all new Harrison clients, Douglas’s experience began with a thorough health history conducted by Registered Nurse, Gaby Furlong, who carefully noted his personal history of basal cell carcinoma and a family history of melanoma. This attention to detail set the stage for a pivotal introductory appointment with his Harrison physician.
He was paired with Dr. Azari, whose expertise in sports medicine and dermatology made him a good fit to support Douglas’s active outdoor lifestyle.
During his initial meet and greet with his new physician, Douglas expected the standard 13-minute or less consultation. Instead, he received over 30 minutes of dedicated, thorough care. During the appointment, Douglas pointed out a few sun spots. Dr. Azari addressed them immediately with laser treatment, but his expert eye caught something else: a lesion on Douglas’s shoulder.
“This spot was not unusual and wouldn’t typically be flagged for a biopsy,” Douglas would later be told by a surgeon. Because of his specialized training in minor procedures, Dr. Azari performed an urgent, skillfully executed, biopsy right in the clinic.
The results came back as invasive melanoma.
“The timing of catching this melanoma was absolutely critical,” says Dr. Azari. “It was approaching the point of spreading elsewhere, but thankfully, it was detected just in time.”
“If it weren’t for Harrison, I don’t believe I’d have had the spot checked,” Douglas reflects. “I just wouldn’t have gotten around to it. I genuinely mean it when I say that my Harrison team saved my life.”
An Integrated Team at Your Service
Following the diagnosis, Harrison’s dedicated referral team sprang into action. Caryn, Douglas’ Referral Coordinator, immediately began navigating the complex web of specialists across plastics, dermatology, and oncology. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of the healthcare system and a network of trusted contacts, she worked to find the most appropriate care for him. “I worked with a few different offices, advocating for his case,” Caryn notes. It was this expert and timely coordination that secured Douglas an appointment with a cancer surgeon the very next day.
Following a successful surgery in November, Douglas began immunotherapy, a cutting-edge treatment that stimulates the body’s own immune system to destroy cancer cells. “Thankfully, after surgery the tests to see if the cancer had spread came back negative. Now, he’s receiving immunotherapy to greatly lower his risk of it returning,” adds Dr. Azari. The treatment involves a one-hour IV pump session once every four weeks for a year, a schedule that has allowed him to remain completely side-effect free and maintain his active lifestyle without missing a beat. “I have no changes to my daily life,” shares Douglas. “After my first treatment, I was up on the slopes and skiing by the next day.”
Optimizing Longevity and Recovery
Beyond his cancer treatment, Douglas has taken full advantage of Harrison’s comprehensive health team. Working with an Exercise Physiologist, he has improved his balance and grip strength, essential for his weightlifting, playing music, and overall longevity.
Registered Dietitian Sarah Myers also played a crucial role in his post-surgical recovery. “Douglas had a goal to continue a high level of sport performance,” Sarah explains. “I adjusted his supplements and recommended that he increase his protein intake to best support the retention of lean muscle mass and provide better post-surgical healing.”
Today, Douglas is cancer-free and back to doing what he loves with the people he loves. “Marrying the right person is the most important decision you can make, but the second is taking care of your health,” he advises. As a husband, father, and grandfather, he feels privileged to stay healthy for his wife, five children, and seven grandchildren.
With the trusted, personalized care of his Harrison team, Douglas can continue to be the husband, father, and grandfather his family deserves, knowing he has an expert team dedicated to keeping him healthy for many more years to come.
