Amanda Pullinger, Chief Executive Officer at Debbie’s Dream Foundation, shared on LinkedIn:
“Last week, I spent four days in Seoul, South Korea, with my primary purpose being our Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer International Gastric Cancer Symposium for patients on October 31st.
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity while in Seoul to visit a couple of gastric cancer care and research facilities.
My first visit was to Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) by invitation of Hyuk-Joon Lee, Professor, Department of Surgery and Cancer Research Institute at Seoul National University College of Medicine, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) and Congress President for the International Gastric Cancer Association’s 2029 Congress.
A big thank you to Whei Jung, a senior GI researcher at SNUH, who facilitated my visit.
It was an early start to get to the weekly research meeting which began at 7AM.
I was grateful to be included in the session and to observe the rigorous discussion following Jaechul Lim’s presentation of the current status of his research project.
It was good to meet Seong-Ho Kong, Do Joong Park and a number of the research students who are focused on gastric cancer.
Whei then gave me a tour of the hospital, including the beautiful roof deck garden that cancer patients can enjoy (overlooking Changgyeongung Palace) and the hospital Museum that provided a very interesting overview of the hospital’s history.
It was an incredible privilege for me to sit in for an hour to witness Dr. Hyuk-Joon Lee’s GI clinic and see his dedication to gastric cancer patients and their family members.
Despite an incredibly busy schedule, I was so impressed with the time he took to answer questions, and to see how he often used hand-drawn illustrations to explain some of the complexities of their gastric cancer condition.
We want our physicians to have technical expertise, but the ability to reassure patients and family members is equally critical.
I received a tour of the lab facilities, and was pleased to meet some of the research scientists.
Finally, I participated in a gastric cancer patient education session, offered by the hospital to patients and family members.
Using a brochure developed specifically for gastric cancer patients, the session included information about surgery and treatment, as well as advice on after-care, including nutrition, physical exercise and support groups.
I was able to say a few words about Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer.
I’m enormously grateful to everyone I met at SNUH for giving me such a fantastic visit.
Go to Debbie’s Dream Foundation for more information about DDF’s global work.”
Other articles about Debbie’s Dream Foundation on OncoDaily.
