Yes, Virginia, there is a vacation.

This has been one heck of a three year start-up.

I was last employed full-time in 2009, before my company cut my job in half because I was in DC so much – just the push I needed.  (I didn’t exactly need them to completely cut me off six months later, two weeks before my 60th birthday, with just one week of severance pay, but that too has worked out okay.)

Now, for the first time in seven years (since 2005!), starting Thursday Ginny and I (Virginia – get it?) are going on vacation. For two weeks.

We’re going to stay with friends, so it’s not like we’re splurging on a resort, or even a paid campground. On the other hand, the friends are overseas, which is sweet. :-)

Are we ready for a break? Well, my travel-tracker site Tripit says I’ve logged 59,918 miles so far this year, 101 days of travel, 26 trips touching down in 43 cities. The picture at right is a quick snapshot of the nametags from the events I attended in four days this month, four plane flights and (highlight of the travel) one apparent cocaine-using driver, considering his sniffling and aggressive driving at 11 p.m. :-)  Oh, and one lost cell phone (returned to me last week).

So yes, we’re ready.

What will we do? Whatever we want. For me “time off” means freedom from agenda. Don’t tell me to stay offline; that would be an agenda, and I have lots of fun online.:)  I’ll read, I’ll sit on a beach (under an umbrella, for cancer prevention), we’ll tour the area, and I hope to do some writing. Most of all, we’ll do whatever we feel like.

My assistant Linda will be monitoring my emails and will be able to reach me.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all the thought leaders who have supported the work of the e-patient movement. The changes we’re seeing today in the medical culture would not be possible without your leadership.

Nor would this vacation be possible – the first since before I got cancer. It’s quite a milestone, one that I hope all our e-patient rookies can look forward to, as healthcare increasingly sees the value of the voice of the patient.