A physician at Long Beach’s own Miller Children’s Hospital was today recognized in the 2009 Consumer’s Guide to Top Doctors for his work treating children who deal with cancer and serious blood-related illnesses. Dr. Jerry Finklestein, founding medical director of the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center, was named to the yearly guide that is published by Consumers Checkbook Magazine.
Dr. Finklestein boasts nearly 40 years of experience with pediatric hematology-oncology patients, which means they are dealing with either cancer or blood-related illnesses. He helped create the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center in 1983 after the 16-year-old Jaques donating his life savings to establish a fund that would benefit children with cancer like himself. Jaques lost his battle with cancer at a young age, but his spirit lives on more than 25 years later with the center he created and the physician who helped him achieve his dream.
“When we first opened the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center more than 25 years ago, we did so with the intention of providing our young patients with a holistic treatment approach to meet their complete medical, emotional, scholastic and social needs from the time of diagnosis to treatment and beyond,” said Dr. Finklestein, in a press release. “Through this innovative and compassionate care, we’re able to see a patient throughout their entire lifetime. There is simply no greater joy in life than watching a patient, diagnosed with a serious illness at a young age, walk down the aisle on their wedding day.”
The 2009 edition of Consumer’s Guide To Top Doctors recognized Dr. Finklestein as the only hematology-oncology physician to make the list in Los Angeles County. The list names each state’s top medical specialist and is compiled based on doctors most frequently mentioned by their peers in surveys.