March Madness

It’s March and there’s Madness in the air! Yesterday, in Dallas, the University of Loyola, Chicago’s basketball team squeaked out a buzzer beater basket to conquer the favored Miami in the NCAA tournament. As a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago, my heart swelled with pride, and my mind drifted back (way back!) to those glorious undergraduate days in Chicago. I attended that school on a combination of academic and financially based scholarships. Without that, there would have been no advanced education for me. It spring boarded me into a life beyond what my parents were able to reach, and the blessings just keep coming. The tournament is always fun to watch, in my opinion, because ANYTHING can happen.

Loyola hasn’t been in that tournament since 1985, if my facts are straight. Small schools can come out on top of the giants. Even if they do not win another game, they won that one. And that’s history now. The continued ability to adapt, to keep exploring and thinking outside the box, to not be intimidated by those around you simply because they are bigger or more powerful, are all life lessons we can learn from the little guys. I’ve attached two very different paintings to this blog. Both are of flowers, but with completely different styles and strokes. Even as a painter, being open to new ideas and ways of doing things is important. Much of this I learned at Loyola, and below, this pattern was reinforced during my stint at the University of Oklahoma as well. Here’s to March, the madness, and the coming beauty of Spring!

It was August, and it was hot. Good thing. The sweat dripping from my brow mingled with my tears, making the sadness less evident. I was 22, and standing at the gravesite of my father, who had just died from leukemia, a disease for which there was little treatment at the time. Evoking Scarlet O’Hara in the infamous Gone with The Wind, I vowed that I would do something about this. It was shortly thereafter I presented my fiery and penniless self to the University of Oklahoma, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, nearly demanding to be admitted for the purpose of beginning a career in research. Despite my appearance and naivety, I was admitted, and assigned to work with Dr. Madelaine Cunningham, a brilliant middle aged (at the time) woman whose shortness of stature was the ONLY thing small about her. She was working on developing a certain type of antibody that could be used to both detect and treat disease (a BIG simplification). To date people had been successful using the mouse, but developing something from the human system (which would be more useful) was proving harder.

For two years I traveled in the shadow of this woman; I was the grunt work to her genius, and thankful for it. I learned more from her than immunology. She was/is a pioneer in her field at a time when there were simply not many women at all doing what she did. She was/is fearless, tenacious, but kind. She demonstrated daily the fine art of criticism (an opportunity to improve), and how to NEVER compromise your ethical and moral position, even when tempted by greed or position. At the end of my two years, I once again found myself with tears trickling, as she added my name as an author to HER work of genius, announcing our successful production of human monoclonal antibodies. By this time, I had decided to slightly alter my course, and pursue a Medical Doctor degree as opposed to a PhD, and with her blessing I gathered my things and went to Medical school.

The fire she ignited to always learn, and to think outside the box has never died. I cannot help myself, and continue to be a voracious reader of many things, including those outside my own field. There has been an explosion of new technology that has allowed the use of antibodies to treat many diseases, from psoriasis and melanoma (in my own arena) to cancer. Imagine my surprise when my own oncologist recently suggested I start treatment with a new medication, Prolia, a human antibody to help restore bone I have lost from my breast cancer treatment. The girls I work with just roll their eyes when I come in breathless, excited about a new advancement or way to do something. Just yesterday we did our first biopsy of a skin lesion using tape instead of cutting!

There’s a computer model being pioneered at Stanford that can look at images and detect melanoma just as well as a dermatologist. Hopefully they will make it even better as we battle this monster. Recently my studies have included exploration of fields of nutrition, osteoporosis, the effects of technology on our brains, and the latest thinking in treating obesity. I am now onto Microbiomes. In dermatology, we have new things to treat and prevent skin cancer as well as new things to make our skin look better and brighter. And, (warning an uncomfortable topic approaching) Ladies, I have great news if you suffer from urinary incontinence (dribble urine when you laugh or sneeze or work out or have to CONSTANTLY look for the bathroom), vaginal dryness, or painful sex. Please don’t be afraid to ask me about this.

So, as I MARCH into March, I thankfully travel on the shoulders of my Dad and my Mentor Madelaine, thankful I have had those that went before me to blaze trails and encourage me to never stop learning.