Early detection is our best insurance against serious and catastrophic disease.
When I started teaching in Glendale nearly four decades ago, I was young, working two jobs, taking college classes, falling in love, and starting a family. Going to the doctor for a health check up was a waste of my valuable time, or so I thought. My introduction to doctors and health care came a few years later when I woke up in a cardiac care unit. With that wake up call, I quickly changed my life and habits, studied my health plan carefully, visited my doctor regularly, and educated myself fully on how best to care for my family's health and myself. My wife Mary, a retired Glendale teacher, is a cancer survivor only because she exercised proper health care through regular check ups, early detection, and because she insisted on expert and aggressive treatment.