I am so grateful for Dr. Stein. My friend, K, became a patient of Dr. Stein's late into her cancer journey, when she was already dying from Stage IV metastasized cancer.
Dr. Stein and her team went above and beyond with her care. Dr. Stein made herself available during emergencies and stopped by during K's hospital stays to check in and offer her support and guidance. Her nursing team was amazing at responding to our questions between appointments. K had some very specific requests regarding her care and the spread of information regarding odds and survival. Dr. Stein respected K's wishes without comment and helped us and me navigate very difficult conversations within the parameters K set.
Dr. Stein was thoughtful about how she approached next steps for treatment. I never felt like she was offering a packaged cookie cutter medical plan, but she offered clear recommendations for specific treatment options and reasons behind her recommendations. She answered each and every question we asked and she was also able to offer alternatives and describe the pros and cons of each approach.
Her demeanor was always professional, open, direct, and warm. We felt like humans in her office and not patient/caregiver.
When we were in the impossible position of ending care, Dr. Stein was amazing. She held a vision for how to transition out of care in a way that was empowered rather than defeated. On the day that I admitted K to hospice, Dr. Stein called me personally to speak with me and offer me her condolences and support. Her office stayed in regular contact with me over the next few weeks and her social worker, Katie, called to check in on how we were doing.
This is one of the worst journeys you can go on, but if you need to, Dr. Stein is an amazing doctor who will be your advocate, partner, and cheerleader. If we had known about her earlier, we would have worked with her from the start.
My only word of caution is to make sure you set appointments before you leave the office. Dr. Stein's schedule gets busy and scheduling over the phone can be challenging. read more