Last year, my family and I lost my father, Tom Baker. He spent the last several months of his life in the hospital where we were able to be his support system through a particularly disjointed care process. This experience opened my eyes to the shortcomings of our current healthcare system – especially the crucial need for severely ill patients to have advocates who can track medical, financial, and health history details during their hospital stays. For my mother, sisters, brother, and me, this was a full-time job. I can’t imagine the burden patients and their families face without the ability to take time off work, a privilege that my family and I were fortunate to have.

Not everyone has family or loved ones who can be their eyes and ears while they fight for their lives within hospital walls. For that reason, my brother and I will be participating in 'Movember' to raise funds for the Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), an organization dedicated to ensuring that patients and their caregivers have critical support when facing the financial and administrative challenges that arise from critical hospital stays. PAF’s services include case management, financial assistance, patient education and advocacy tools, health services research, and targeted outreach in communities with the greatest need. You can learn more through the link to their 2023 Annual Report below:

PAF 2023 Annual Report

Please join me and my family in honoring my father, Tom Baker, by donating to the PAF. While my brother and I didn’t inherit the great facial hair genes that my father had, we’ll give it our best shot in November and share some humorous updates along the way (progress photos to be posted in the updates section)! Here’s to Tom, my father and the greatest man I’ve ever known!