Dear Ann, What a shocking letter. I am, of course, the "L.M." referred to here: > It is beyond me how L.M. can describe this arrogant, avaricious man as "intuitive" and "sensitive". I did not know Robyn, but that does not lessen my sorrow over her story, or for her family and their loss. I've read their story very carefully. But I was not there. I'm not a doctor. Without hearing Prof. Douwes' side of things, which is unlikely, as he can hardly violate his patients' confidentiality by discussing their cases, I can only guess at the other side of this story. But I do know that every story has two sides. In my 3 stays at Klinik St. Georg, totaling 3 months in 2001, I saw a number of cases where patients with advanced metastases pinned their last hopes on Prof. Douwes. Not everyone responds to the treatments. And so many people turn to Prof. Douwes - and other alternatives - as a last hope, far too late. He's often expected to pick up the pieces left by cancer, surgery, chemo, radiation...and work miracles. And often he succeeds in doing just that! I am personally friends with some dozen people with advanced cases which had been written off as hopeless, who are either completely cured or now have only a slight trace of cancer left. And 4 patients I was friends with have died in the past year. I've met bereaved families at the Klinik several times. They all talked about Prof. Douwes' kindness and sympathy. I watched that man pace a little square of garden for 2 hours one afternoon after losing a patient who'd been with him for weeks and who'd responded well to treatments before finally passing away. I cannot imagine what happened with Robyn's family or why there seemed to be such a failure to communicate. I think it is important to point out that in many of the advanced cases I've seen, if the patient was too ill for treatment, the doctors were placed in a no-win holding situation, hoping that the patient could rally his forces enough to withstand aggressive treatment. It sounds as if this may have been the case with Robyn, also. I cannot comment on another patient's experience, beyond what patients have told me firsthand. I believe that Robyn died the day I arrived in Bad Aibling for treatment in November. I saw the bereaved family, and the other patients told me that she was from Australia and had two young children. Everyone talked about how sad it was, but I heard no whispers of discontent or complaint, which normally would fly through the Klinik like wildfire if anyone were upset. I never heard anything else about the case until now. I've seen a number of cases where the patient was too ill for whole body hyperthermia. This treatment, combined with low dosage chemotherapy, is much more effective than normal high dosage chemotherapy, and far less toxic. I am guessing that this was the treatment Robyn wanted and had to keep waiting for when she was unwell. The patient must pass stringent cardiac tests, and blood platelet levels must be carefully monitored. A mistake could prove fatal. The treatment is very taxing to the system. Several patients I've known were desperate for this treatment but too ill to receive it. One was finally able to have his WBH when I last checked out of the Klinik, in fact. I don't believe the doctor has a crystal ball and can predict that a patient will not improve enough for treatment. The man who was beginning WBH when I left the Klinik had rallied surprisingly. I'd nearly given him up until then. What if Prof. Douwes had done that? How does one know where to draw the line? If things go well, the patient improves and can have WBH. If not, the patient may be too weak to go home again, too. I would not wish to be responsible for this call. And one trait every patient of his ascribes to Prof. Douwes is his indefatigible optimism and courage. It inspires us with hope at a time when we need it most. It sounds as if he had inspired Robyn with enough hope to come all the way from Australia a second time - and she had been there before, so she knew the man? Hope is powerful medicine. I know it helped to heal me. It is not a bad thing or a sign of avarice that he hopes to help people like Robyn and that he believes in his treatments. So many of us would have given up without the gift of Prof. Douwes' optimism and hope. Robyn also sounds like a strong, courageous, and determined woman. If I were Robyn and had insisted on a last chance in Bad Aibling, and traveled all the way from Australia, only to find myself too ill for the treatment I hoped for -- I would also be determined to stay put and take my chances on getting the treatment. Surely she had some say in the decision to wait for treatment? Until the patient is too ill to travel, this is certainly the case. If placed in a holding pattern, waiting for treatment, the doctors try to build up the patient's system for WBH. I know they have to be careful about what medications the patient takes. Pain medications tend to be quite damaging to the system. I can only speculate that this might have been a factor - if they were trying to forego some of Robyn's pain medication, perhaps it's ongoing use could have compromised any remaining hope that she might rally enough to undergo treatment. It does seem to me that if aspects such as this were particularly upsetting to the family, they could (still) inquire about the reasons and be better informed. There does not appear to be an effort here to learn more about the treatments and understand the situation better, only an expression of terrible anger and grief. Often there are simple and reasonable explanations - without which, it would appear that the patient had suffered needlessly. I think that a better understanding of what was going on could prove comforting to Robyn's loved ones. I cannot read this account about a man who has saved my life, whose treatments have cured my breast/lymph cancer and 2 small recurrences, and who has been unfailingly kind and caring with me, without speaking up in his behalf. I am truly a grateful patient, and I consider Prof. Douwes my friend as well as a brilliant physician. In fact, the discussion has arisen a few times among patients at the Klinik, where someone has suggested that the doctors should advise certain patients in advance that their cases are hopeless, and not to come there for treatment. Again, where do the doctors draw the line? They need to examine the patient in order to properly assess his condition and ability to withstand various treatments. I have seen patients cured who had been told everywhere else that their cases were hopeless. What if Prof. Douwes had also turned them away from the beginning instead? This man works ungodly long hours and shoulders an inhuman amount of responsibility. I have rarely met a physician so dedicated. I owe him so much. In my own case, without exception, everyone else I consulted recommended immediate mastectomy and axillary (lymph) surgery, then chemotherapy. No concert tours, plenty of rest. Prof. Douwes understood intuitively that playing music is what I live for, and that a surgery which could easily compromise my ability to work would also take away my will to live - I think because, like me, this man lives for his work. Instead of insisting that I skip my concert tours (which would have really depressed me), he built my strength and energy and my confidence so that I would be well enough to play them. I was cured in 3 weeks, and amazed everyone by being on back tour 10 days later. I've had 2 small recurrences, each cured with the same treatments. I have played four 30-day concert tours of Europe since my diagnosis, and have recorded a new CD in Nashville with my partner. I am lucky. This extra time, the music I have played in the past year and a half, I owe to Prof. Douwes. Is it any wonder that I am grateful for these miracles? As I remarked to my partner, while my heart goes out to Robyn and her family, at the same time, I don't feel it would speak well of me if I sat and watched Prof. Douwes portrayed as a heartless money-grubbing parasite preying on the last hopes of helpless cancer victims, and said nothing in his defense. And I believe that each of us probably finds a different truth and another reality. What I have observed is a kind, talented, caring, and very dedicated physician whose patients are devoted to him, and with good reason. I am sorry to hear of such a different experience. It does not sound as if the person writing the letter were present himself either, or has been clearly informed about the possible reasons for waiting for treatment. Things like "lack of eye contact" when meeting with the family are quite subjective (and entirely out of character for Prof. Douwes - I've also never heard of him behaving in an aggressive fashion toward a patient or bereaved loved ones, and cannot imagine this), and make me try to place myself in that situation. If I had just lost a patient and now faced a bereaved and perhaps hostile family, I doubt that anything I could say would be considered sufficient or appropriate, and I cannot imagine how I might gracefully handle such an encounter. Like the person who wrote this letter, I was not present and cannot really judge the events from a balanced perspective! I think that one should be very certain of both sides of a story before placing serious accusations in a public forum where such a letter can do tremendous damage to a fine doctor's reputation, and that a very emotional letter presenting one party's complaints and accusations, which offers no explanation or understanding of the treatments, should not really be presented as a "balanced assessment" of any situation. Thank you, Ann, for allowing me to contribute another possible perspective. Warmest regards, Liz Meyer Amsterdam, Holland Ann's NOTE: All of the above is from Liz Meyer, The Project is simply allowing space for this discussion. No statement from anyone else can change the experience of another. Most of us who have participated in support groups, have found that one patient/family may have a totally different experience with a doctor or healthcare facility than another. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. 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