The life mission of Lee Tomlinson – also known as “Patient Lee” -- is to inspire healthcare professionals to return compassionate care to its rightful place at the forefront of modern healthcare — to benefit patients, their families, the bottom line; and perhaps most importantly, they’re often suffering, “burned-out” selves.

Finding this mission wasn’t even remotely easy.

Award-winning television producer, movie studio executive, and owner, former professional athlete, speaker, and TED Talk presenter, “Patient Lee” is alive today due to the combination of a lifetime of extraordinarily effective medical treatment and deeply kind, compassionate care.

Unfortunately, during a recent battle with Stage 3+ throat cancer, “Patient Lee” became painfully aware of the trauma caused by treatment lacking in compassion that drove him to the darkest of depths. What saved him from suicide was a tiny, simple, yet powerful act of compassion delivered by a loving doctor and friend.

With his renewed zeal for life and newfound purpose, “Patient Lee” created the Compassion Heals Movement. This Movement is designed to reconnect  America’s 20 million healthcare professionals with the compassion that got them into healthcare in the first place. Then, do whatever is necessary to prevent the “burn-out” that affects over 60% of these vital caretakers, rendering them unable to provide compassion to their patients, themselves, or anyone else. And finally, once healed of their own distress, to reignite these dedicated professionals, and inspire them to redouble their efforts in providing even more compassion than before — all to better heal their patients and the world.

Lee has already told his story on more than 200 stages around the world, wearing nothing but a hospital gown. Presented with his unique mixture of humor, compassion, urgency, encouragement, and call-to-action, “Patient Lee” is making a difference in restoring compassion to healthcare…and to the world at large.