At the Patient Support Group Meeting organized by The Max Foundation for Friends of Max, on Sunday, 7 January 2024, for CML patients in Aurangabad, Jyoti Kanole, local City Chapter Leader, was interviewed and asked to share her views:
1. How do these gatherings impact individuals, and what emotions surface when connecting with the FOM Community?
The patients become very emotional and look at FOM and the Max team as a close relative of theirs. It is a homecoming of sorts. We are able to meet other patients, become friends and draw comfort from each other.
2. Now it has been 20 years since we have been doing patient support group meetings, how do you think the meetings have evolved, what are the new changes in the discussions and workshops that you are seeing?
The Max Foundation tries to give something new to the patient every time and makes special efforts to solve all their queries. No two FOM meetings are the same. This time during the meeting we had the Compliance Workshop, in which the message was clear. For a CML patient it is of utmost importance to strictly follow their treatment procedures and regularly do the follow up visits to their physicians for regular checkups. Further during the meeting, the patients were freely allowed to ask questions directly to their physicians.
3. What would you like to see in future meetings?
It would be nice if we could get more time to interact with the other patients. It is the highlight of all meetings.
4. In your experience with Support Group meetings, can you share a specific instance where you witnessed a notable impact or positive outcome for a patient?
What touches me most is the positive energy of each and every patient which becomes an inspiration for other patients as well. It provides that relief that we are not alone in our CML journey.
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