Parker County Today OCTOBER 2018 | Page 44

our professionals: CANCER WARRIORS By MARSHA BROWN, MISTY BROWNING, MELISSA MOORMAN and MEL RHODES It takes an exceptional kind of person, an extraordinary doctor to treat and deal with the life-changing diagnosis of cancer. The most important quali- ties of a great healer are hard to define using just a few words. Being an excellent doctor goes far beyond education and knowledge. It takes far more than exams and skill. Some days, these physicians must deliver the news when there is nothing else that can be done for their patients. Other days, they have the privilege of celebrating when their patient beats cancer. They are constantly search- ing for another option to help their patients beat this baffling disease. Here are the doctors that embody all these qualities. For a doctor treating cancer patients well, they must possess the essen- tial qualities of compassion, they must be an avid listener to each patient, regardless of how hectic the day, they must be mindful, skillful and intui- tive to their patients’ needs, have vision along with a tenacious optimism. 42