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How Are You Holding Up?
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Released: October 15, 2025

John Marshall
John Marshall, MD
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MedBuzz: How Are You Holding Up?

 

John Marshall, MD: Last Monday, I was walking around the hospital and I noticed a different mood. The hospital, in today’s world, has been kind of a safe haven. Whether you're reading the world that’s changing every day and all the rules are thrown out—in the hospital, we all had a common enemy. We had a common purpose.

 

And so, it’s not a political place at all. We were holding doors for each other, we were smiling and encouraging each other—whether you were a patient, whether you were administrative staff or medical staff, whatever—you were part of a team that was working together.

 

But this last Monday, I was walking around, and it really felt different. It felt like people were flat. It felt like people were withdrawn. It was no longer that safe space that we wanted it to be, and I was very anxious about the mood creeping in. The mood that's out there in the world today, about all the changes, was creeping into the hospital itself. It got a little lighter through the week, but I still think it’s a different place. I think it's because of the stuff that’s out there.

 

Now recently—just last weekend—I was down giving a lecture to the International Society of GI Oncology, a group I helped found many years ago, and I was honored to be given the chance to give a talk at this group. It was an overview of where we are in GI cancers in general. I was thinking about and talking about our jobs, and the work we do, and the pressures that outside is applying, and the emotional connection we have with our patients and with each other, quite honestly, as a team. And I don't often do this, but all of a sudden, my throat got a little caught. I was… I was sad. A loss for words. Anxious for those around us. I'm an old guy—I can survive. But I was worried about the 30- and 40-year-olds that were in the room, that needed to carry the torch forward. I was worried about just all of those pressures that were around. And for the first time, maybe ever, I was struck by the emotion of the time. And it sort of went along with the mood of the hospital.

 

I'm hoping that we can kind of come out of it. I don’t know about you, and I’d love for you all to provide feedback. Is this something that you're feeling in your practices? In your workplace? Is it creeping into the medical community in a way that's disrupting what we do and how we feel?

 

Because I do think it’s really important right now. Part of my message back at us all is that we need to make sure and take care of each other. Support each other—whether you're supporting a patient, whether you're supporting your team or your colleague—we need to make sure that we're reading each other and are there for each other through these hard times.

 

So, what's the mood in your hospital right now? Is your throat getting caught a little bit when you read something or have to share thoughts with others? Or are you hanging in there and doing all right?

 

I hope it’s the latter, 'cause somebody needs to keep holding the torch for us and keeping things moving forward.

 

John Marshall, Oncology Unscripted.