Theme: Shared Decision-Making

A uniquely challenging and emotional situation

Kate, a mom of two sons born with cardiomyopathy, and her sons’ heart doctor, Dr. Elizabeth Blume, discuss the decision to keep the same heart failure team for the younger son after the older brother dies unexpectedly at home, including coping with the anxiety. Dr. Blume shares what that experience was like for her: “You can’t Monday morning quarterback yourself because there is so much uncertainty and so much mystery around it. And I think that that takes a lot of kindness and processing on the physician’s side. … And the way this particular family did this particular road has taught me how to be a better doctor.”