About the Book
A memoir of triumph in the face of a terrifying diagnosis, Up the Down Escalator recounts Dr. Lisa Doggett's startling shift from doctor to patient, as she learns to live with multiple sclerosis while running a clinic for uninsured patients in central Austin. Facing the prospect of a career-ending disability as she adjusts to life with multiple sclerosis, Dr. Lisa Doggett is forced to deal with a new level of uncertainty and vulnerability, and the everyday fear that something new will go wrong. Taking off her white coat--becoming a patient herself--she confronts unimaginable fears, copes with her limitations, and sidesteps her skepticism of alternative medicine to seek help from unlikely sources. MS pushes Doggett--a perfectionist at heart--to embrace self-compassion. As a patient, she learns to advocate for herself to ensure on-time medication deliveries and satisfactory treatment plans; to navigate chronic dizziness, relapses, and parenting frustrations; and to push her physical limits as a runner to go farther than ever before. This hopeful and uplifting book will encourage those living with chronic disease, and those supporting them, to power forward with courage and grace.
About the Author :
Lisa Doggett, MD, is a family physician, MS Warrior, and cofounder of Texas Physicians for Social Responsibility. She previously directed a safety net clinic in Austin, Texas, where she saw an eclectic mix of patients struggling with their own health challenges in a deeply dysfunctional system. A self-described health nut, Lisa was shocked to become a patient herself when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a bizarre neurologic disease known to be a leading cause of disability in young adults. Since her MS diagnosis in 2009, she has battled frustrating symptoms and insurance companies. She has experienced relapses and has explored alternative treatments. But she has also run two marathons, traveled to five continents, raised two daughters, and embraced her job as a lead physician creating innovative programs for people with chronic disease around the country. Lisa graduated from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas School of Public Health. She has published in the New York Times, Motherwell, and the Austin American-Statesman. She is a columnist for Public Health Watch and blogs for the National MS Society's Momentum magazine. Lisa has been featured in Parents magazine, Women's World, and on CBS Sunday Morning. As a national thought leader and 2021-22 Vaccine Science Fellow with the American Academy of Family Physicians, she provides webinars, speaks at conferences, and contributes to articles on a variety of health topics, including stories in U.S. News and World Report, Reader's Digest, and Healthline. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband Don, a hospital-based pediatrician, and their two daughters, Ella and Clara. Lisa Doggett, MD, is a family physician, MS Warrior, and cofounder of Texas Physicians for Social Responsibility. She previously directed a safety net clinic in Austin, Texas, where she saw an eclectic mix of patients struggling with their own health challenges in a deeply dysfunctional system. A self-described health nut, Lisa was shocked to become a patient herself when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a bizarre neurologic disease known to be a leading cause of disability in young adults. Since her MS diagnosis in 2009, she has battled frustrating symptoms and insurance companies. She has experienced relapses and has explored alternative treatments. But she has also run two marathons, traveled to five continents, raised two daughters, and embraced her job as a lead physician creating innovative programs for people with chronic disease around the country. Lisa graduated from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas School of Public Health. She has published in the New York Times, Motherwell, and the Austin American-Statesman. She is a columnist for Public Health Watch and blogs for the National MS Society's Momentum magazine. Lisa has been featured in Parents magazine, Women's World, and on CBS Sunday Morning. As a national thought leader and 2021-22 Vaccine Science Fellow with the American Academy of Family Physicians, she provides webinars, speaks at conferences, and contributes to articles on a variety of health topics, including stories in U.S. News and World Report, Reader's Digest, and Healthline. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband Don, a hospital-based pediatrician, and their two daughters, Ella and Clara.
