Some of the most important factors shaping a patient’s care never appear in a lab result. Their responsibilities at home, experiences with illness, and comfort accepting help can all influence the decisions they make.
At Balboa Nephrology’s A Hero’s Journey, Dr. Bijal Patel brought this into focus through the story of a patient he had cared for over nearly two decades. After years of supporting her brother through dialysis and caring for her son, she faced a decision about her own kidney transplant. Understanding her medical needs was only part of understanding what made that decision difficult.
Tim Fitzpatrick, founder of SIGNALS attended the event, and the story stayed with him. He asked Dr. Patel to share it with the broader Signals community, where it appears in The Heroes Hiding in Plain Sight.
A message for everyone involved in care
Dr. Patel’s remarks offered a challenge: recognize kidney disease before symptoms appear, see the person behind the diagnosis, and address barriers that may otherwise remain hidden.
He also asked attendees to share what they notice with their teams. When knowledge or a solution stays with one person, patients remain dependent on that individual being available. Sharing it creates an opportunity to improve care more consistently.
The hero at the center of his story is the patient—a woman whose years of showing up for others felt, to her, like simply taking care of family. Her experience reminds us to pay closer attention to the lives our patients lead beyond their appointments.
Thank you, Tim, for helping this story reach more people and extending an important conversation from A Hero’s Journey.
