Comments for John P. Stein, M.D. at http://blcwebcafe.org , comment 1 to 2 out of 2 comments http://blcwebcafe.org Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:05:16 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://blcwebcafe.org/content/view/231/1/lang,english/#comment-3 There are no words that I could conjure up to express the grief I feel at the passing of Dr. Stein. I feel for his family that will miss him every day of their lives. I feel for the hundreds of patients that will never know the kindness and caring of a Special Human being, a Doctor that would make it easier for them to deal with the diagnosis of cancer and the life altering procedures that follow. July will be the third anniversary of my RC. I am going to miss his smiling face and the big bear hug he always had for me when I came in for the six month checkup. ............. - Bob Myers Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:50:31 +0100 http://blcwebcafe.org/content/view/231/1/lang,english/#comment-2 Thanks, Wendy, for Dr. Stein's memorial page!!! Below is a copy of my post which pretty much sums up my feelings about him. GOODBYE, DR. JOHN STEIN I attended Dr. Stein's funeral mass yesterday in Pasadena. A six hour drive from where I live. There was an overflow crowd so the church had to be closed and an adjacent meeting room used (where Kathryn and I sat) - there was a screen and projector so church proceedings could be observed. A good service, one I appreciated and was glad to have attended even though I'm not the least bit religious. Dr. Skinner spoke. He said that he wished that others could have heard Dr. Stein describe his vision for the USC urologic oncology program; he had great plans. Such sad irony; at the time of his death the decision had just been made for him to succeed Dr. Skinner as chairman of the USC/Norris Cancer Center Urology Department. Met Gary Awad and Faten Habib (and spouses!) after the service, it was great to put faces and personalities to names. Faten is a wonderfully warm and pleasant woman, the kind of person who makes you feel welcome. Gary is a great guy, another one of those attention-to-detail kinds of people. Since he had the foresight to record his consultation with Dr. Stein, one of the USC doctors asked him to give USC a copy so they can use it for training. I last saw Dr. Stein this past February for my 2 1/2 year checkup; Dr. Stein did both Gary’s and Faten’s cystectomy and neobladder construction six weeks ago, only a few days apart. There was a reception after the funeral mass held at the Antheneum near Pasadena (in San Marino), a private club. USC did a first-class job here, good food and wine and drinks. Several interns doing their residency in the urologic department shaved their heads as a tribute to John. I was surprised that his wife attended the reception; she put on a brave face and met dozens on people who waited in line to give her their condolences. I told her that her husband’s work helped many of us here on the Bladder Cancer WebCafe. What a tremendous loss. Dr. Skinner said those 20 hours after he and others took John to a local hospital in Florida were the worst hours of his life. Steve, John's assistant, was at the service, we hugged. Like others, my emotions range from stunned to gut wrenching to bitterness to anger… to acceptance… to admiration and inspiration for this doctor - and the man. The feelings of admiration and inspiration are winning out, big time. Both Kathryn and I left the service with the feeling that we want to live our lives to be better people. Dr. Stein made that kind of impact on people. For those of us fortunate enough to have known him, we are fortunate, indeed. Eat, drink, and be merry... ...and when we die, may others think just a tiny bit as highly of us as so many, many people on this planet, from family, friends, colleagues, and patients, thought of Dr. John Stein. - Dan Martin Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:24:49 +0100