Zain Javed, MD

My father was under the care of Dr. Javed in February and March of this year. My dad walked in with so many frightening symptoms — dizziness, headaches, vision going dark, memory lapses, tremors. And yet every single symptom was explained away. Dr. Javed blamed “fluctuating blood pressure,” our “cultural diet,” and “lack of exercise.” He rolled his eyes when my father mentioned new symptoms. When my dad struggled with memory, instead of investigating, he said, “You’re nearly 70… you can’t have the memory of a 35-year-old,” minimizing something that should have been a major red flag. I even sent him a detailed message through the Kaiser portal specifically requesting a neurology referral — which I still have proof of — and nothing was done. Instead of digging deeper, he told us to “wait and see how the new blood pressure dosage works,” delaying care by another four weeks while my father continued to decline. I understand Kaiser PCPs sometimes hesitate with specialist referrals, but… this wasn’t caution — this was dismissal. This was bias. This was rushing through a human being who desperately needed help. When no one listened, we finally took my dad to the ER ourselves. That’s where he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and devastating brain tumor. I’m only writing this now because the last nine months were spent bedside, caring for my father, advocating for him, and watching him slowly slip away. He is no longer with us. And I carry the pain every single day of wishing I had taken him to the ER sooner. I blame myself for trusting the reassurances we were given. If you are reading this, let our experience be a warning — if something feels wrong, push harder, go sooner, don’t wait. My dad deserved to be heard. Every patient does.