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influential-magazine.com
Photo: Shelley Welander | Shewe Studio Makeup: Margarita Potts | Margaritagodiva Hair Design: Ben Ko and Karen Fuwa
Dr. Robert Reid McCulloch is my very supportive husband. I appreciate his desire to want to travel with me. He really is the best part of me. He’s profoundly talented healthcare professional and loves what he does.
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Camerone: William, I learned to be more empathetic toward others. Also, I make it a priority to take care of myself. This is excellent advice my father always told me to practice. Most noteworthy, I learned to value hard work. I selected a treatment which had a yearly cost of $65,000 which I had to pay being self-employed without healthcare insurance. Hence, I made the decision to keep my diagnosis a secret so I could continue to work and pay for my medication. Some days were very difficult. I was tired often and suffered extreme side effects from the medication, which is common, but I kept pushing forward. As I reflect on these times, it amazes me how I was able to keep working during the difficult times. I wanted to continue to live so I had to do what was necessary. William: How difficult was it share your diagnosis with your family? Camerone: It wasn’t difficult at all to involve my family. In fact, I visited my family the day I received the diagnosis and it was their love and support which made a difficult day bearable. William: Do you have a personal philosophy that has helped you cope with having a chronic illness? Camerone: My philosophy is to never give up. You either give up or get up. When you give up, you lose your chance to get up and make a difference. SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019
FLUENTIAL 19
