Riketa Smith is a certified medical assistant at Duke University Hospital and formerly served as the Pediatric Neuromuscular Program co-coordinator at Lenox Baker Children’s Hospital, where she worked with Duchenne families. She shares why creating space for honest, personal questions matters in Duchenne care.
Transcript
I wish that patients would feel more enabled and willing to talk about things like sex, finances, their interests, their hobbies — anything that’s not a typical conversation about their medical diagnosis or how it might affect them long term.
At the end of the day, you’re still a person, and it’s OK to ask about these things. It’s OK to want and have desires and curiosity about how you’re going to handle things in life.
I just wish that patients felt like these weren’t such taboo topics. It’s OK to talk about them, and it’s OK to ask. We’re here to answer. I want to answer those questions for you.
I remember having a patient who wanted to ask questions about sex, about having babies. And those are valid questions. We spoke to this patient and came up with scenarios they could follow to reach a point where they could have a family and be financially prepared to care for that family.
They were really grateful in the end that they asked, even though they felt hesitant and scared to bring it up at first.
It was nice to know that someone felt like they could ask. And I wish more patients felt that way too.
