What's Up, RAD?

“What’s Up, Rad?” is a collection of vignettes; stories of brave patients, consulting colleagues, collaborating physicians, notable nurses and ancillary medical personnel—both heartwarming and heartbreaking. All stories are TRUE! Hopefully these narratives will bring insight—the insight that “The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.” You may shed a few tears, be awed by healthcare advances, reap some chuckles and garner increased empathy. Dr. Cary Stegman practiced as a board-certified diagnostic radiologist and nuclear medicine physician for 43 years and through these vignettes we see his personal growth and how he met and exceeded the demands of his profession-a special profession in which the tree of life bears an extraordinary abundance of the sweet and sour fruits of life. “This, his second book to be published, recounts emotional interactions during his 45 years in medical training and practice. His first published book, The New Old Testament, was an attempt to awaken people to the why and how of their poor critical thinking. He also wrote and spoke to state legislators and end-of-life national organizations about a new approach to end-of-life medical intervention. In his blog, jigSawpuzzlings, he addresses medical and other societal concerns. Cary J. Stegman is a man of prodigious talents. He could have been an architect: he played a major role in designing many of the outpatient offices for our medical practice, and most thought his ideas were improvements on plans submitted by professionals. He redesigned his own home into a showplace. Cary could have been a graphic designer: he crafted the logo for our practice. After some years, a new design was sought from a local expert, who returned with many possibilities. All of these were considered, but none was better than the original. Stegman’s work remains the emblem of the practice after more than 40 years. Cary Stegman is a philosopher: He has thought so deeply about the state of the world today that he has written a book (THE NEW OLD TESTAMENT), which reconstructs Genesis and part of Exodus from the five books of Moses to reflect modern science and sensibilities. He is, of course, a physician. His many years of practice are marked by brilliance as a diagnostician and skill with (very!) small instruments. Cary is a writer, producing concise and meaningful prose, as you will find here. But most of all, Cary Stegman is a caring and empathetic human being. His care for other humans shines through all he writes, and through all he does. You will find it here, seeping through the humor and pathos of his long years in practice. Read and kvell (ENJOY)!”—Jonathan Levy, MD