PATIENT PERSPECTIVE

When Doctor Becomes Patient

Lilit Sargsyan, MD, FCCP, shares the journey of her cancer diagnosis

June 14, 2024 | VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2

“I learned how scary it was to be on that side of medicine... I had gone from being a healthy doctor to a patient with cancer, and I had a lot of anxiety about reentering the world, especially as a doctor.”

Lilit Sargsyan, MD, FCCP

Lilit Sargsyan, MD, FCCP

In a recording of a live performance from the CHEST Annual Meeting 2023 in Honolulu, Lilit Sargsyan, MD, FCCP, shares her experience in the health care system as a patient with thyroid cancer.

Dr. Sargsyan had to advocate for herself—and fight too hard, she said—to receive the tests and care she knew she needed. As a physician, she was in a place of privilege to do that. But it changed her entire outlook as a medical professional.

Listen to her story of how she overcame the feelings of fear, anger, and anxiety to reclaim her life—and her voice.


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