Patient Perspective: Jamie Troil Goldfarb shares her clinical trial experience [video]

For individuals living with a condition like melanoma, volunteering to participate in a clinical trial can be a rewarding experience. Not only will patients be able to gain access to potential new treatments, but they will also be directly contributing to research that can save lives — something that Jamie Troil Goldfarb has experienced firsthand.

Jamie received a diagnosis of stage IV melanoma in 2011, only 11 weeks after giving birth to her child. Individuals with Jamie’s specific diagnosis are given a 14% 5-year survival rate — but through participating in an immunotherapy clinical trial, Jamie is living without evidence of the disease.

After her study experience, Jamie began speaking about the importance of medical research, volunteering with organizations such as the Melanoma Research Alliance to advocate for the importance of clinical trial participation. Some key points she always reiterates are:

• If you have cancer, you will rarely get a placebo as a clinical trial participant
• Study volunteers aren’t treated as “test subjects” or “guinea pigs” — they’re treated respectfully, as patients receiving medical care
• If you're not getting what you need from your doctor, don't be afraid to ask questions or push back

In the video, she shares a bit more about her story and what she wishes every patient knew — give it a watch below: