Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 10/21/2007

Question
QUESTION: I have a friend who told me about a young girl (age 16) who has a brain tumor but her family cannot afford brain surgery. Is there a particular way or place that a person can get free brain surgery or some kind of financial help if they have no means of paying?

ANSWER: Sorry, I'm a Swede living in Sweden. I have no knowledge of such matters where you live wherever that may be.

Sorry to disappoint you, but all information about me - including where I am and who I am is on my bio page here if you had cared to look! Many experts are not Americans! Diseases are the same all over the World but price lists ARE NOT! Not knowing about those of where you live is NOT ignorance as you seem to think!



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I did not rate your knowledge as zero based on thinking you have no knowledge of neurosurgery, I am sure you are a very fine neurosurgeon. I thought that I was supposed to rate how much you knew about MY particular question, and since I had asked the question not realizing you were in Sweden, of course you would not have known what is available here in the US. I am sorry, I certainly did not mean to say that you are not knowledgeable in your area of expertise.

Answer
Well, that is what you do when you rate like this or as I wrote to somebody else who did a similar thing: "Are you in the habit of consulting your dentist with your foot problems?" Besides you have still not checked my bio page. It is there to help people to select the right expert for their questions. I would for example never dream of consulting a Chinese expert of dentistry about the best dental care here in Stockholm. If I did that by mistake the blame and fault would be mine NOT the expert's so any negative rating would be ridiculous! If you HAD checked my bio page you would know too that I'm not a neuro surgeon BUT a medical oncologist and radiation therapist. So not only was the geography wrong but also the area of expertise! I can hardly be blamed for not knowing matters outside my area of expertise! Right? That bio page is there for a reason and should be used!