Douglas Flora: This striking young man in The Flash Underoos is me hunting for Easter candy decades ago
Douglas Flora posted the following on LinkedIn:
“This striking young man in The Flash Underoos is me hunting for Easter candy decades ago.
Our family lost our mom to breast cancer when we were young, a moment that undeniably shifted the course of our lives. This week, though, my dad surprised us with something truly special—a box of family photos we thought were gone forever. Every day, he’s shared a few more of these pictures with us. I didn’t expect it to be so emotional, but here I am, flooded with memories I didn’t know I still had—of furniture, a familiar record player, even little details that don’t seem like they should matter.
There’s a Welsh word, Hiraeth, that captures this feeling perfectly—a deep longing for a place that no longer exists. It’s a kind of bittersweet nostalgia. In healthcare, we often feel that same pull—longing for the ‘way things used to be’ while also striving for the ideal future we haven’t reached yet. I still enjoy the nostalgia of looking back, but I’m passionate now about moving forward, so that more families get to keep their loved ones.
Today is a rainy study day, with a stack of papers and a few books I’ve looked forward to, but I look at what I’m reading and realize we can’t go back. It’s likely that, with today’s advances, my mom would have survived her cancer. In fact, there has never been a better day in all of human history to survive cancer than today. That kind of progress means more to me than all the Easter candy in the world—for our patients and for their families.
And finally, to the Underoos team: if you are looking for your next model—I’m still a big fan of The Flash, Robin, and Aquaman, but may need a larger size these days lol.
Am I the only one with such a hilarious Underoos pic to share from back then?!”
Source: Douglas Flora/LinkedIn
Douglas Flora is the Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, overseeing clinical operations, strategic planning, and the expansion of cancer programs. He is also the co-founder of the Center for Precision Medicine; Genomic Health.
As the Editor-in-Chief of ‘AI in Precision Oncology,’ the first peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to this field, he plays a pivotal role in advancing research. He is also an active board member of the American Cancer Society and ACCC, where he contributes to advocacy, education, and innovation within the cancer community.
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