- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." - Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic. Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's Web sites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the Web site) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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Nov. 3, 2007
Mother Teresa: Lessons for us all
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
My wife and I recently returned from personal and professional activities in Guatemala. Since the total flight was six hours, including layovers, my wife shared with me a book titled "Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light."
I was not particularly enthusiastic about reading a book about a saintly woman with whom I could hardly relate. However, once I started the book I could not put it down. Here is what I learned, and this directly relates to some of the insightful comments from our stress community:
- Mother Teresa had a calling to work among the poor in the slums of Calcutta. The church leaders at that time were highly skeptical and were not at all supportive of her efforts. However, with tenacity, perseverance, and a sense of mission, the church leaders stepped aside and Mother Teresa created her legacy.
- Mother Teresa experienced a longing, a void, a spiritual absence which haunted her for many decades. She sought the guidance of a wise spiritual counselor who suggested that she simply "accept it." This feeling could not be dismissed, it would not go away, yet with an attitude of acceptance and resignation and embracing uncertainty, Mother Teresa, by her own writings, achieved a state of peace, harmony and serenity.
So, I think the same tactics apply to us. Each of us on a daily basis struggles with unfairness, illness, uncertainty, and yet we stumble forward with a sense of community and connectedness and with the grace and support of our fellow pilgrims.
By the way, Mother Teresa also acknowledged "I have no time for myself" and periodically would go on a week-long retreat to become revived and rejuvenated.
Another important lesson for each of us mere mortals. May our days ahead be filled with peace, health, prosperity and serenity.
Dr. Ed
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