The face of cancer.

Abstract

Two voices tell the story of an evolving doctor-patient relationship. Seizures are the first indication of squamous cell lung cancer metastatic to the brain. Both doctor and patient describe the course of the illness, treatment, and remarkable recovery, each from his own perspective. The patient describes how the cancer became a creative as well as a destructive force, expressed in his painting and new approach to life. The essay concludes by discussing limitations of the biomedical model of disease in this case and the complex two-way nature of the healing relationship between doctor and patient.