Peter Newcomb: Patient Stories

Pete Newcomb never had any medical problems and rarely saw the doctor. At 76, he explains: “I finally switched primary care doctors, and the new one, who is very good, by the way, ran a bunch of tests on me. It’s been quite a journey since then.” Pete says the tests revealed several major issues (he calls it the “Mt. Rainier syndrome”) including a bad gall bladder and gall stones, an aneurism and finally, a lung biopsy that showed non metastatic lung cancer. With cancer being the most immediate health issue, Pete received successful surgical and chemo treatment, right away. “It was the best care and the nicest staff possible,” he says. He is now readying himself to deal with the next health issue. It’s all about the perspective, according to Pete, “you have to accentuate the positive in all things, just like the song says.”