Topic Info
The risk of infection during cancer treatment is very high and infections can delay or stop treatment. Cancer survivor, Brecken Armstrong Kelsey and Dr. David Dale join the show to share their insight and personal story on dealing with infection during cancer treatment.
Guest Info
David C. Dale, M.D., F.A.C.P., is Professor of Medicine, University of Washington and a member of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the Infectious Diseases Society of America and was President of the American College of Physicians from 2007-2008. His research interests have focused on disorders of white blood cells and susceptibility to infections.
Brecken Armstrong Kelsey is a cancer survivor and former chemotherapy patient who suffered several infections during her treatment. As a third year emergency medicine (ER) physician, she typically spent up to 80 hours a week in the ER and lived an active lifestyle. During a trip that included an ambitious climb of Mt. Whitney in California, Brecken experienced breathing difficulty that spurred her to seek medical attention and was eventually diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (metastatic to the bone marrow). Throughout Brecken’s treatment with chemotherapy, she developed two serious bacterial infections – a skin infection and an abdominal infection called C. Difficile - that she contracted while awaiting a bone marrow transplant. As a cancer survivor, Brecken has spoken on several occasions about her personal experience with cancer and the importance of preventing infections during treatment.
