French and Hebrew are my mother tongues, and I speak English, so I spoke the same languages as my therapists. HMC has a significant set of interpreters who work day and night to give support to those patients who don’t speak English. But clearly, it is better if you speak the language of the health provider. I cannot imagine someone going through this process without knowing the language. Can you imagine having cognitive therapy in a language you cannot understand?

I’m writing those words to emphasize how lucky I am. But let us think about the millions of people who cannot access health information in their native languages. Think about families in Africa or in Haiti. Think, even, about some of the homeless people you see on the street. . .