Doctor uses social media to help her patients

Krupali Tejura, MD, a radiation oncologist, treats patients at the Corona Cancer Clinic in Corona, Calif. And via the internet, she channels another powerful form of energy on behalf of patients with advanced-stage cancer — the goodwill and kindness of other people.

Krupali uses the tools of social media to fulfill the wishes of patients, many of them with terminal conditions. Tweeting and posting on her blog, which reads like an open letter to the world, Krupali has fulfilled patients’ dreams as varied as—attending a taping of the Ellen DeGeneres show and meeting a famous violinist—to seeing a Pittsburgh Steelers football game at Heinz Field.

“My wife is a big Steelers fan, and Dr. Tejura arranged an all-expenses-paid trip and even got NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swan to meet my wife and sign her jersey,” writes Chuck Chavez, whose wife has late-stage breast cancer. “It was the best medicine for my wife.”

On her blog, Krupali writes, “I honestly don’t do anything but put out a call to the world and at times the world responds.”

Krupali describes how it all started: “I have a patient support group called Ruby Red Slippers, and at one of our meetings, I heard a young patient with Stage IV cancer say she wanted to go to the Ellen show (Ellen Degeneres’ talk show). I went on the Ellen’s website but I could not get any tickets.

“So I put it out on Twitter, and a follower of mine who is a breast cancer survivor who works in the industry—she’s a makeup artist—got two VIP tickets so I could take my patient. When I first met this girl, she was metastatic and couldn’t walk because her knee was riddled with cancer. But by the time we went to the show, she was walking on her own, which was amazing.”

Through her unique care of terminally ill patients, Dr Tejura is showing us how to transform a seemingly hopeless situation into one filled with joy and caring.

For Dr Tejura social media has been an incredible tool to change the lives of her patients.