The irony was that the infectious disease expert checking my mom was very Chinese, both in appearance and accent. If she (infectious disease expert) had the "w

The irony was that the infectious disease expert checking my mom was very Chinese, both in appearance and accent. If she (infectious disease expert) had the "western" "strong individualistic element," she might have pulled the oncologist aside and said, "look..." (If she hadn't already done that, but was merely seeing my mom so her oncologist could save face.) The real issue is mindset and maturity. These issues happen in all cultures.