Dave deBronkart, better known on the internet as “e-Patient Dave,” is the leading spokesperson for the e-Patient movement and was elected founding co-chair of the new Society for Participatory Medicine. Mr. deBronkart was diagnosed in 2007 with Stage IV kidney cancer, with a median survival of just 24 weeks. He used the internet to partner with his care team and beat this unbeatable disease. Today he is well, and is the author of Laugh, Sing, and Eat Like a Pig: How an Empowered Patient Beat Stage IV Cancer (and What Healthcare Can Learn from It). Before joining a panel on online healthcare, he sat down for our In The Green Room Q&A.
Q. Where would we find you at 10 a.m. on a typical Saturday?
A. At the computer.
Q. What music have you listened to today?
A. None.
Q. What do you consider to be the greatest simple pleasure?
A. Singing.
Q. What surprises you most about your life right now?
A. That I’m alive.
Q. What is your fondest childhood memory?
A. Riding my bike down a hill.
Q. What do you wish you had the nerve to do?
A. There’s not much that I wish that I haven’t.
Q. Who is your favorite fictional character?
A. Hunter S. Thompson, even though he was real.
Q. What is your favorite cocktail?
A. Martini, straight up with olives.
Q. When do you feel the most creative?
A. When I’m preparing a speech under deadline pressure.
Q. What profession would you like to practice in your next life?
A. Pro baseball player.
Q. What is your most prized material possession?
A. There really isn’t much. Honestly after I almost died and came back, I don’t have many things. I do lust for more gadgets.
Q. Who is the one person living or dead you would most like to meet for dinner?
A. Barack Obama.
To read more about deBronkart’s panel, click here.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.