This past weekend, we kicked things off with a cruise getaway, and then spent the week in Washington, D.C., where my family and I immersed ourselves in the Smithsonian museums and enjoyed some incredible food along the way. It’s been a refreshing and meaningful time together. This coming week marks the start of a new chapter as I officially join AdventHealth. I’ll be spending the first few days in orientation and onboarding, and my first clinic day as Director of Cutaneous Connective Tissue Oncology is set for December 8th. I’m looking forward to returning to patient care, re-engaging in research, and being part of a large, mission-driven hospital system that serves the Central Florida region. And yes.. more oncology specific posts on this site. Hard to post anything oncology specific when I’ve been out of the clinic for all of November. It feels good to be back in a permanent role—and to step into this next phase with energy, purpose, and gratitude. Here is what Im thankful for…
There’s a funny thing that happens when you step away from the clinic after 14 straight years of nonstop oncology practice—beyond the initial 14 years of education and training.
At first, there’s silence. A strange, unfamiliar kind. No inbox overload. No real work inbox. No back-to-back meetings. No beeping pagers or calls or waiting rooms. Just… time.
Time, in abundance. Like I won the lottery.
It’s almost unnerving when it hits—that realization that for the first time in your professional life, your schedule doesn’t own you. You do.
This past year was my first in a long while spent outside the traditional oncology grind. And it’s been one of the most eye-opening, rejuvenating, and affirming years of my life.
Slowing Down After Running at 90mph
I had spent years running—building a busy subspecialty practice, managing research, mentoring, parenting, planning. Like many physicians, I’d gotten used to operating at 90 miles per hour, convinced that speed/efficiency was a marker of success.
But in stepping away a year ago—exactly one year ago—I traded velocity for vision.
And what filled that space? A second cruise this past year. Hiking in the mountains of Iceland and Switzerland with my wife/kids or personally while away on locums in Montana/West Virginia. Racing through Ireland like it was a Mario Kart game. Weekend getaways in Canada or New Jersey for large family gatherings. Tasting authentic foods in Japan and Switzerland. Long, meandering afternoons with my family in Washington, D.C. this past week, soaking in all of the Smithsonian Institutes (ok.. maybe skipped 1-2 of the art museums)—not rushing to a gate or scrambling to answer a page, just being.
These weren’t “escape” moments. They were intentional. Restorative. Necessary.
Redefining Productivity
Surprisingly, this abundance of time didn’t make me lazy—it made me sharper. I started waking up earlier than ever, around 5:30 or 6:00 AM, to meditate, plan, breathe, journal and center myself for the day and for the week. I reclaimed my physical health, diving into workouts at OrangeTheory or HardCore Fitness 3-4x weekly. I pursued new opportunities outside of medicine—consulting, real estate investing, starting a franchise business with my wife—and even hit major financial milestones that most physicians don’t meet til their sixties if at all, two of which will be announced on the White Coat Investor blog in early 2026 as a guest post.
Most of all, I learned to slow down without stopping. To pause without guilt. To grow without burnout.
The View from the Other Side of the Stethoscope
As an oncologist, I have been privileged to walk alongside patients and families facing some of the most difficult moments life can throw at you. Their strength, courage, and honesty have taught me more about what truly matters than any textbook or training program ever could.
Through their stories, I have learned that time is not something to take for granted. It is precious—whether measured in years, months, or moments—and it deserves to be filled with meaning, presence, and connection.
This past year, I’ve seen friends and colleagues lose loved ones—parents, close family members, even a child. These reminders of life’s fragility have been humbling. Though my own father and brother-in-law passed away untimely years ago, their memories still feel close, especially during the holidays. These moments remind me why time is so valuable, and why presence and connection matter.
Those lessons have shaped me in quiet but permanent ways.
I’ve come to believe that part of honoring life—for myself, for my family, and for the patients I serve—is living it while I still can.
Not recklessly. Not selfishly. But fully.
This year reminded me that life isn’t just about achievement—it’s about alignment. Living in a way where your schedule reflects your values, your energy matches your priorities, and your joy isn’t reserved for later.
Returning to the Work I Love
Now, as I prepare to return to clinic on December 8th as part of the AdventHealth team, I’m walking back into medicine with renewed clarity. This time, I’m not driven by obligations, validations, positions, committees, loans, debts, or recognitions. I do not care for any of those.. certainly free and independent of all consumer debts/loans. I’m returning because I love the work—and I get to choose it freely, with a heart grounded in purpose rather than pressure. I practice cause I want to… not because I have to.
I’m excited to serve again. To re-engage in research. To mentor. To grow alongside an incredible team. And to do it all with the grounding that comes from this past year’s reset.
Because I’ve learned something essential: when you live with intention—when you put family, health, joy, and presence first—you don’t abandon your purpose. You empower it.
A Thanksgiving Perspective
So this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful not just for where I’ve been, but for the freedom to live fully in the present.
I’m thankful for the abundance of time that gave me back my mornings, my health, my clarity.
I’m thankful for meeting major financial milestones that I’m extremely excited to share in a separate post and that gave me flexibility and freedom. My guest blog post was accepted and will be posted on WCI in early 2026!
And I’m deeply thankful for the work that still calls me back—because now, I’m showing up not from a place of depletion, but from abundance. Not straight out of fellowship, but straight from gratefulness.
From the clinic to a year of personal reflection, presence, and balance—and back again—I’ve come to understand that the point was never to escape the life I built. It was to make sure I was living it better than I ever had before. My clinic starts December 8th.
About the author
Dr. Sajeve Thomas is a distinguished medical professional and a compassionate guide in the field of oncology. With over a decade of dedicated experience as a board-certified medical oncologist/internal medicine specialist, Dr. Thomas has become a trusted expert in the treatment of melanoma, sarcoma, and gastrointestinal conditions. He brings a wealth of expertise to the complex and challenging world of oncology.
Disclosures:
Dr. Thomas serves as a speaker for Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), Merck, Ipsen, Natera, Immunocore, Pfizer, and SpringWorks. He also receives industry grants in support of numerous clinical trials.