Andrew Schorr had his blood drawn this month and spent most of his appointment discussing his children with his oncologist. It’s been 14 years since the EmpowHER member and contributor had an abnormal blood test showing he had one of the leukemias, cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Results were normal, so he returned to his work as “America’s most empowering patient.”
Schorr has a long history in journalism, with degrees from the University of North Carolina and Columbia University. He worked in both local and national television news until 1984 when he shifted his focus to producing medical programs in partnership with his wife, Esther, winning several national awards. In 1992 they developed "HealthTalk," with interactive "talk shows" for patients, a company that’s now part of EverydayHealth, Inc.
Despite all his work in the medical field, Schorr had never heard of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) when he was diagnosed in 1996. “I was 45 with two small children and a devoted wife, he said. “While this type of leukemia can be seen by some as “the good kind” it can still shorten your life, certainly when the time of diagnosis is 45. I was just getting rolling in my life’s work and not ready to start planning for life’s end.”
By reaching out to other patients and connecting with doctors who specialize in his illness, Schorr participated in a clinical trial at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He received "tomorrow's medicine today" and now, 14 years after diagnosis, remains in remission and takes no medicines. The treatment he received wasn't approved by the Food and Drug Administration until 2010.
He says, “Fortunately, I connected online with others with this disease. They mentored me and guided me to doctors who had made treating this disease their life’s work. By connecting with one of them at a major center 2,000 miles from my hometown, I was given the confidence to father a third child and enter a clinical trial for a promising new treatment regime. It was worth it! Now the kid is 13 and I’m a 14 year survivor with no sign of leukemia.”
In 2005, inspired by his own patient experience, Schorr founded Patient Power LLC, first as a weekly radio show for patients and soon thereafter as a growing website and producer of syndicated medical talk shows nationwide. He has personally hosted more than 2,000 programs on serious health concerns. Many of the nation's leading medical centers support Patient Power financially or by donating medical experts’ time for programs.
In 2009 Schorr joined with like-minded patient advocates to form the non-profit Patient Empowerment Network. He also completed a book, "The Web-Savvy Patient" to help others learn how to navigate the health care system more easily. Andrew and Esther Schorr have been married 25 years and have three children, two dogs and two cats.
His passion for helping others is clear on his website and when you talk with him. He devotes much of his personal time to helping fellow leukemia patients. “Leukemia is much less often now a death sentence,” he says. “If you hear a diagnosis like I heard, please don’t despair. There is hope for better days. I’ve had more than a decade of them and look forward to many more!”