Berger inspired to bring light of Christ to those he serves

John 8:12.

That is Michael Berger’s license plate.

“Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

“I love that Bible verse,” Berger said. “I think that’s just such a great message to the world. No matter how dark it is in this world, if Christ is in your life, that darkness is not going to overcome Him. I just love the gospel of John AND it fit nicely on a license plate!”

Berger, who has three children (Andrew, 24, Caroline, 21 and Olivia, 9) with his wife, Megan, is a specialty practice pharmacist at The James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State University. He has worked with breast cancer patients for 22 years, getting to know the patient and family and helping them to understand the treatment and manage any side effects.

The patients he sees are, of course, concerned about how they will battle cancer. Many also have apprehension about how they will afford any prescribed treatments. This often arises with Berger as he is providing patient education about the prescribed medications.

“I can come into the room and assess what patients understand, what they don’t understand, and fill in gaps,” Berger said. “There’s a lot of fear and apprehension about how they are going to get this medicine, what it is going to cost, what it’s going to mean to their quality of life, and what is the goal of taking this medicine? All of these things get talked about.”

With all of that knowledge in his back pocket, Berger still does one thing before consulting with a patient.

“I always ask the Holy Spirit to help me before I walk into a patient’s room,” he said. “I absolutely see Jesus in every person, regardless of race, creed, color, whatever. Whenever I go into a patient room, I am treating Jesus, whether they see that or not.

“I certainly love my job because there’s a ministry component to it. Whether I can talk to patients about that or not, it doesn’t mean I treat them any differently. But if they give me a window, I can jump in. There have been many times when I’ve gotten to pray with patients when they’re hurting and I’ve just offered to pray with them.” 

He said the most difficult patient visits are when he knows it will be the last time to see them.

“They’re going on to hospice and I want to tell them that they’re a champion, that it’s been an honor knowing them. Those are impactful,” Berger said. “I pray for my patients, all of them in general, and when it’s a young mom who’s recently diagnosed or an especially stressful situation I will literally write their names down and keep them in my prayers.”

It turns out that many of the patients Berger has worked with have actually provided inspiration to him in his work.

“I’ve had a lot of patients write me notes or give me little inspirational things and I have them plastered around my desk so I can look back and remember them,” he said. “Many of them have since passed away, but I kind of feel like they’re ministering with me to these other patients.”

The care Berger gives to his patients and the grace of inspiration they extend to him brings the light of Christ into difficult health circumstances on a daily basis.