A special ‘thank you’ for a special doctor

For people living with serious illness, the doctor-patient relationship takes on new meaning as they work together to identify treatments and manage symptoms. This is especially true for people such as Lyman Christopher, who lives with stage 4 cancer.

Lyman has been a patient of Dr. Andrew Hampshire, a hematologist/oncologist with Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group, for nearly six years. And he says it's been a great relationship.

"I've been coming to see him once every two or three weeks," Lyman says. "He's very knowledgeable of what he's treating. He also has a great sense of humor. He's a great doctor."

Dr. Hampshire is similarly complimentary of his patient, sharing that Lyman's always so gracious about the care he receives from Sharp. "Never — even in some complicated medical situations — does he have anything really negative to say, and he is always very appreciative," says Dr. Hampshire. "It's just a pleasure to be his doctor."

An extraordinary gift for extraordinary care

After a decade of Guardian Angel gifts to Sharp Rees-Stealy, Lyman decided to make a significant gift to name the staff lounge at the Kevin H. Cook Infusion Center. The lounge is named in recognition of Dr. Hampshire and all the oncology caregivers at Sharp.

Dr. Hampshire was honored and humbled by the recognition. And he's amazed by such a generous gift from a patient that is, he says, "so easy to take care of."

"He always comes in on the same day," Dr. Hampshire says. "He always tries to get the same treatment slot. And I look forward to those because I know that even if there are difficult scans to go over or decisions to make, we will, at least, start with things that are fun."

Care that makes a difference

It's obvious Dr. Hampshire enjoys talking with his patients, taking care of them, and being a part of their good moments as well as an important part of their more difficult ones. "It is the patients themselves that drive everything about why I come to work every day," Dr. Hampshire says.

That kind of care makes a difference in the lives of patients like Lyman, who says he looks forward to his visits with Dr. Hampshire.

"I was told when I first started that I would have probably five or six years to live with the cancer," Lyman says. "In two months, it will be six years, and I seem to be doing pretty good. A lot of that is due to the treatment of Dr. Hampshire, because he's the doctor I've been with from the start."

Learn more about the Guardian Angel program and consider honoring a care provider who has made a difference in your or a loved one's life.