Why a gorilla you may ask, well, let’s just say I’ve been called that a few times in my life.  While I can be polished and executive in my delivery, I am also very blunt and just as aggressive as I am kind in my tone. As I write my personal story, and as I speak as a patient, I believe that full transparency is key, and that means full emotional transparency, as healthcare is not just ‘data and facts,’ it is also our mind, our emotions and our spirit — healthcare is as much love as it is any medical device, doctor or drug.

As you read these posts, know that I understand how they may shock many, or they may be too honest for some — but the only way to fix a system that has been broken for 50+ years is to lay it all on the line and get real about the problems facing each of us as a patient and as a taxpayer in the U.S. moving into 2025.

So, funny thing about me, I ‘almost die’ pretty often. For this reason, I’m growing more concerned about the state of healthcare as I grow older — I’m not sure how many more times I can survive one of God's tests!

It is said that ‘God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers,’ Well, I must be Achilles for you Boomers, or Rambo for the GEN X population, or Iron Man for the Millennials! I think that I was tested so that I could tell this story and be a barometer of the healthcare system that we all depend on.

Through this series of posts, I will be discussing my personal experiences. If you are comfortable sharing your experiences, please connect with me through the website forms, and we can begin building the collective experiences in a manner that drives real systematic change — or build a new system ourselves.

So you’ve read this far hoping to see the near-death stories? Well, I’m not one to disappoint, so let’s dive in! 

The first time I almost died, I was a baby. I got pneumonia and was put into the ICU, where I was read my last rites 3 times — at the end of each day, while my parents were told that I would not make it through the night. Over the years, I have heard the story retold by my parents, grandparents, and other family members who lived through it. 

While I don’t have the memory of that week, I have the knowledge that no man knows another man’s journey. There was no test that could predict I would live, there was no pastor that knew God’s will — there was just me, less than a year old, fighting for my life and making it to the next day.

This matters — this matters more than most people want to recognize or admit. We want to rely on others, on technology, on ‘expert opinions,’ but what we seem to forget is the power we hold within ourselves, our own divine right and energy, and our will to live. This means we all have a responsibility to ourselves — and by holding ourselves accountable, as well as our family and friends, we can reverse the wrongs in healthcare just by taking control. As Hippocrates said, “The natural healing force within each of us is the greatest force in getting well.” 

That is what the Patients First Foundation is all about — holding stakeholders accountable and aligning them to repair or even rebuild our healthcare system. Either path can work, but it is clear, the status quo must end. 

Accountability for all — meaning we as patients have to modify our ways and our expectations of ourselves and each other. We are the change, and we have the power — once again to quote Hippocrates, “Before you heal someone, ask him if he's willing to give up the things that make him sick.” 

Join me as we start this journey of change. Together, we will rebuild the healthcare system to meet our needs and to do so with respect, dignity, and humanity. And along the way, I’ll tell you the other half dozen times I almost died … it only gets better, I promise!

Thanks for your time and consideration today, both are appreciated!



Until next time … Steve