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I am sure anyone who has had a loved one diagnosed with cancer or some other terminal illness can attest to the feeling of shock and the surreal quality that you feel when hearing the diagnosis. It is like a punch in the stomach, a gnawing feeling that this is what you now have to face every day you wake up. My brother George recently got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I cannot even put into words what he must be going through right now. As my brother’s health advocate, I will now be fighting for his life and doing everything in my power to be there for him, emotionally, physically and to obtain the most progressive treatment that is available.

My older brother and I are 12 years apart. I started hanging out with George socially, my senior year in high school. I would be walking home from school and he and his buddies would be shooting hoops in our driveway. They were older than me and let me tag along with them, so that made me feel “cool”. I looked up to my older brother. We bonded over a passion for music as well. That bond would continue for the rest of our lives. To this day, we have never lived farther than 15 minutes from each other.
 
George has always been a happy-go-lucky, live in the moment kind of guy. Never worrying about tomorrow. God bless him, he rarely lets anything get him down. Even when he ended up in the hospital because of diabetes, 20 years ago, he took it in stride and adjusted his diet accordingly. Years later, he would add high blood pressure and cardiomyopathy to his list of health issues.
 
Luckily, with the help of technology, I can use our Link+ medical device to monitor his blood sugar, blood pressure, oximeter pulse and temperature in real-time. For example, when he tests his blood sugar, the information seamlessly connects to the secure HIPPA-compliant portal via 4G or 5G. Happily, George does not have to worry about downloading an app or using a tablet. I can view the data at any time. I can also send comprehensive daily health reports to his doctor.
 
As one of my brother’s caregivers, the LINK+ gives me some peace of mind these days. And I can continue being that annoying, proactive sister that he has always known me to be.