Someone close to me was recently told he couldn't have a potentially life-saving treatment because two of his organs were too close together; even if the organs were 1 cm apart, they could do the procedure, but the organs were right up against each other. He was devastated—for a day. And then he woke up, called the doctor, and said, "Can't you just put something 1 cm thick in between the organs?" They thought about it, and said, "Yeah. We can."
This was at the number 1 rated cancer hospital in the United States (a slot it shares with Hopkins). My point is not that they're idiots. The opposite is true: they are brilliant and caring. But such is the power of received narratives: A ergo B.
Someday someone else may also benefit from his going back and saying - think outside the box. . .
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