Reimagining Cancer Care: Why We Can Not Accept the Status Quo

Michele promised her father she would never stop challenging the status quo.

When Work Hits Home

“I hope my grandkids remember me.” That was the first thing my dad said when we told him there were no other treatment options for his stage four cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile ducts of the liver.

Working at Daiichi Sankyo, cancer was part of my everyday life, and like many people, I had friends and family members who had been diagnosed before. But this was different. This was my dad, and it was a diagnosis I knew would not end with the ringing of a bell or a party to celebrate remission.

As the only immediate family member with a healthcare background, everyone looked to me for recommendations and guidance through this very intense time. The pressure was immeasurable, but I’m eternally grateful I could be that person both for him and for my family. Despite the impossibility of the battle, I did everything and anything I could to help.

While my work in oncology provided perspective and knowledge, it also left me grappling with difficult questions: Why didn’t I notice it sooner? Was there something I could have done differently?

It also reignited a passion for the work we do.

Michele draws on her nursing background to keep patients at the center of developing medicines.

Honoring a Promise

Starting my career in nursing shaped the way I look at the process of developing medicines. It instilled in me the importance of keeping patients and their families at the center when creating ways to test treatments. 

Having seen what patients and their families face in real life, along with my own family’s experience, provides me a perspective that I carry through in my work of transitioning medicine from the research and development side into patient lives. My team and I think holistically about a new medicine, from patient access to clinical trials, to safety and efficacy, and even to the delivery method. I feel strongly that we must analyze how digestible informed consent forms are and what the protocol will actually be like in action for a patient, on top of everything else they’re navigating. 

My experience as a nurse gave me perspective. My experience with my dad reminded me how vital the fight against rare cancer truly is. Cancer is terrible, plain and simple. And I’m not going to stop fighting; I promised him I would never stop fighting or challenging the status quo.

Michele’s father with two of his eight beloved grandchildren.

My Craft: Reimagining

Yes, there has been significant progress made for cancer treatment. I am fortunate to be able to say I have very close friends who have survived breast cancer, a testament to scientific progress. But we cannot allow ourselves to be satisfied. We must keep moving and evolving, because cancer will always keep moving and evolving. Patients are waiting for a solution, and we need to help provide one. I use my work to reimagine a world where survival isn’t limited to those with “the good kind” or the “lucky ones,” but where every patient, including those with rare cancers, has a chance.

This year, I’ll be celebrating my friend’s five-year anniversary of beating cancer with the biggest party you can imagine. That is what I want for every patient with cancer. That is the world I reimagined and strive for through my work, day in and day out.

Daiichi Sankyo is a remarkably innovative company filled with the most supportive and empathetic people. We’ve all been affected by cancer in some way, it’s personal for us and it should be. I want us to always make it about the patients—use that fire, channel our anger, reimagine our grief into positive energy to move the needle forward for every patient. 

And Dad, just know—all eight grandkids remember you. I promise. 
 

Watch Michele Schmidt in “Where Craft Meets”

After her father’s diagnosis with a rare form of cancer, Michele Schmidt, Head of Global Asset Strategy & Portfolio Management, knew that “that’s the way we’ve always done it” was no longer enough. She shares how her journey—from registered nurse to R&D leader to caregiver—deepened her commitment to keeping patients and families at the center. Rooted in science and shaped by personal experience, Michele leads with the courage to reimagine, connecting science, strategy, and empathy to help shape a different future for people impacted by cancer

Learn more about our innovative medicines and the milestones shaping the future of patient care.