Thoughts on Compassionate Care in Medicine from Katie Santanello

     Hello everyone! My name is Katie Santanello and I am a rising junior at Our Lady’s University.

As a daughter of two surgeons, both Notre Dame alums (’77), I have been around the ups and

downs of practicing medicine for my entire life. I have witnessed the on-call nights, the early

tumor board meetings, and both the devastating and uplifting phone calls to patients. Because of

this, I have a different view of medicine than most; it isn’t always the glorious job that most of

the television shows portray it as. It is especially challenging to balance the demands of work life

and raising three children.

     I am positive that the only way my parents were able to become so successful is because of their

compassion – both for their family and their practice.

     As a surgical oncologist, my mom has had to overcome many obstacles to get to where she is

today. She graduated with honors in the second class of women at Notre Dame and then went on

to complete medical school in three years at The Ohio State University (don’t worry – we have

no feelings for OSU even after living in Columbus).

     I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in my mom’s office the past three

summers. Not only have I gained useful office skills, but I have a newfound understanding and

respect for how important compassion is in this line of medicine especially.

     One of the best instances of my mom’s compassion in practice is how long every appointment in

her office takes. She often runs one half hour to an hour late because she literally will spend as

much time as she needs with every patient – even if it means that she skips lunch and will not get

home until 8 pm.

     Another instance is that she always treats the whole person and looks at multiple potential causes

of their disease. This includes her advocating for supplements, a balanced diet, and a healthy

lifestyle. She sometimes (jokingly) refers to herself as a “life coach” because when someone has

cancer, everything can come into question and she is always willing to answer.

     My mom follows most of her breast cancer patients for life, so many of them would remember

when I was born. I was scheduled to be born through an elective C-Section on October 16 th , but

at a 38 week check-up the obstetrician was concerned about my health. This was a Friday before

my parents were scheduled to go to a Notre Dame football game (vs. Ohio State). He wanted her

to stay and have a C-section but she said she needed to be at Notre Dame. She attended the

game, prayed at the grotto, and that following Wednesday I was born at a whopping 6 pounds 2

ounces but I was healthy. It was common for my mom to take us in on weekends to make rounds

on her surgical patients and deliver teddy bears to all those newly operated patients – and they

tell have fond memories of that to this day and often ask about us on routine office visits.

     From listening to her patients tell me about how influential my mom has been in their lives, there

is a common theme in their recollection of encounters with my mom. My mom has a gift of

explaining complex problems in simple terms and even records discussions for patients to listen

to again and share with their family members. Another testament to the success of my mom’s

career is that she still enjoys doing all of the same surgeries as much as she did 30 years ago. To

quote a role model, wife, “life coach”, and most importantly, my mom, “I know the path to being

a physician is long and arduous, however, it is worth it. I am rewarded every day in mind, body

and spirit.”

My mom and me at the Miami Breast Cancer Conference - 2016.

Katie Santanello is a part of the University of Notre Dame Class of 2018 and from Columbus, Ohio. She is a Science-Business Major and a Catholic Social Tradition Minor. She hopes to follow in her parent's footsteps and become a surgeon.