I never thought that surviving a shooting would make one a policy expert...

Who is more qualified to treat cancer. A doctor, or a former cancer patient. Obviously the cancer patient has experienced it first hand, so.....

Experiencing something first hand actually make you emotional and LESS objective.

I concur.
I was a dialysis patient for many years before I received my second kidney transplant in January of 2017. I could tell a new dialysis patient how to live a healthy lifestyle on dialysis and me talking with them could be encouraging and comforting. But my best advice to them would be to listen to and follow the instructions of their doctors, nurses, and dietitians since they are the specialists.