The year 2006 was a difficult time for Sandi Yorong and her family. Her father started the year undergoing treatment for low-grade prostate cancer. The mild radiation treatment made him tired, but there were no other complications. By mid-year, however, he began experiencing upper back pain. In November, he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Sandi’s father passed away in January 2007.
Sandi spent many days going back and forth to the hospital with her mother while her father received care. She juggled work demands, and coordinated information between doctors and nurses, while updating her siblings and relatives.
After customizing her own medical organizer to manage doctor updates, prescriptions, health changes, legal documents and other health-related information for her father, Sandi realized she had developed a very useful tool to communicate and coordinate with family, friends and health professionals — even when she was unavailable.
Several months later, a friend encouraged Sandi to write a book to share her experiences and her process of creating a medical organizer. She soon published Lifetime Medical Organizer: A Matter of Life and Health. Although Sandi already knew how effective it was for her family, she had an opportunity to test her concept. Her friend created an organizer following the process in Sandi’s book when her own mother needed full-time caregiving. Her friend found that the organizer served as a bridge of communication for her 10 siblings living in various parts of the country who wanted updates about their mom’s health.
After reading the book, Sandi’s doctor said he wished more families would apply the concept of a medical organizer.
“My doctor thought it was a great idea for patients, especially when they occasionally bring different family members to accompany them,” Sandi explained. “He said it would create more consistent conversations when loved ones are up to date before the appointment.”
Always the problem solver, Sandi still enjoys finding practical solutions. It doesn’t hurt that Sandi is a financial advisor with more than 24 years of experience. Helping clients find answers has become part of her DNA.
Although health information is now available electronically, Sandi believes that creating a customized medical organizer is still valuable for caregivers and loved ones in order to combine online records with other essential documents.
Yorong’s book is available at www.Amazon.com or email her at sandiyorong@gmail.com to order a personalized copy. Receive a discount when you mention Generations Magazine.
SANDI YORONG is a financial advisor at Pacific Wealth Planning Group with more than 24 years of experience helping people with retirement planning. Find her on LinkedIn or Facebook, or call 808-792-5935.
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