Wow. I’m saying a mi sheberach, the Jewish prayer for healing and comfort, for you and your wife.
I once had a psych professor who told us that a scientist needs to view his own results skeptically. I think you may have a point. (Liberal “scientists” have forgotten that.)
Do not assume that all scientists, or even a majority of scientists are liberal. The way of thinking that we have to learn to become scientists--objective/dispassionate observation and logical deduction--is poison to liberals. As a scientist, I cannot afford to engage in emotion or fall in love with my ideas. I'm in the business of fact checking.
If anything, I see as much illogical emotion driven thinking on FR as I have ever seen in a liberal venue. All you have to do is mention big pharma or big agriculture, and many denizens of FR become as liberal as they come.