Moments in Time

The thumbnail photos of cancer patients that are uploaded into the electronic medical record serve a practical purpose: to verify that clinicians’ orders and notes are for the right person.

But as Cleveland Clinic hematologist/oncologist Mikkael Sekeres, MD, MS, writes in his latest New York Times column, the snapshots provide insights into his patients’ feelings and the lives they lead outside the hospital.

Sometimes the images are stark; others are defiant or hopeful. All are reminders of time’s inevitable passage.

Read the full column here.

Dr. Sekeres, Director of Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center’s Leukemia Program and Vice-chair for Clinical Research, writes regularly for the Times and other publications about his experiences as an oncologist. His forthcoming book, “When Blood Breaks Down: Life Lessons from Leukemia,” will be published by the MIT Press in 2020.