There are few words that can come out of a doctor’s mouth that are more serious than “cancer”. It is a heavy topic. Knowing that, Dr. Jack Saux does his best to lighten things up while at his office in Covington, La where he’s an oncologist.
For about a decade, Dr. Saux has been dressing as a pirate and several other characters while practicing at Northshore Oncology Associates, which is in a partnership with Mary Bird Perkins Center, one of the largest cancer care organizations in the Louisiana. Dr. Saux truly embraces the pirate persona. In his outgoing voicemail message on his cellphone, Dr. Saux introduces himself as the “Pirate Oncologist”. He delivers the message in a pirate’s voice too.
“Many of my patients have my private cell phone number and I think they’re like, oh he’s always a pirate. It kind of distracts from this really heavy situation that they’re dealing with. So, for me sometimes, dressing up helps me get to work because it’s heavy. When you’re sitting in a room like my exam room that we’re sitting in right now and you’re dealing with a really heavy diagnosis or some bad news and they’re getting it from a guy dressed as a pirate, or a clown, or just in bright clothes, it just kind of changes the room a little bit,” Dr. Saux told me.
According to Taking Aim at Cancer in Louisiana (TACL), Louisiana is ranked the 7th worst state in the nation for cancer outcomes. TACL is an initiative that connects multiple sectors throughout Louisiana with the goal of improving those poor cancer outcomes in the state. TACL was launched by former Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and the former secretary of the La. Department of Public Health. One of TACL’s main goals is to give communities across the state access to cancer screenings.
Dr. Saux says because poverty is so prevalent in Louisiana, many people in the state are dealing with cancer in its later stages, when treatment options can have limited efficacy. With his signature dose of personality and wit, Dr. Saux explained why cancer is particularly deadly in Louisiana. He also shared a very personal experience with cancer and how that has changed his unique approach to his cancer patients. Listen to the podcast here.