Embracing Hope: Stories of Survival

As the New Year begins, we are reminded of the things that we are blessed to have: family, a place to call home, food for our tables, and, perhaps, most importantly, our health.

With that in mind and reflective of this magical time of year, I’d like to share two stories of individuals who received a cancer diagnosis and are living to tell their stories years later.  

The Miracle of Mark

 It was a few weeks before New Year’s when Mark presented to the hospital at age 54. He was desperately ill, having lost 40 pounds and complaining of abdominal pain. He had perforated his bowel, requiring emergency surgery. 

To everyone’s surprise, he was found to have cancer, all over his body: his bones, bowel, lungs, and lymph nodes. More surprising was that his cancer had originated in his lung.

If I had met this young man 20 years ago, I would have told him the best we could do was keep him comfortable. He would not have tolerated the treatment available at that time, nor would there have been hope for a cure. 

Luckily, the tumor was able to be tested for special gene mutations and a marker called “PDL-1”.

The PDL-1 was highly positive. This meant he could be treated with immunotherapy treatment designed to help his immune system identify the cancer and fight it without chemotherapy. 

We started his treatment after the holidays, and after he had started to recover from surgery. Slowly, he began to improve. His pain improved. He gained weight. His scans showed the cancer was going into remission! 

He continued with his treatment faithfully for two years until his films began to show no active cancer. Eventually, we stopped his immunotherapy as he developed arthritis symptoms from the treatment, but his cancer has remained in remission. 

This New Year marked the sixth he’s celebrated with his family since his diagnosis.

Amazing Jamie

Jamie was only 36 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a very early-stage breast cancer, but also a very aggressive type called “triple negative.”

Prior to her diagnosis, she and her husband were trying for a family, but a few months before finding a lump in her breast, she suffered a miscarriage. The plans for motherhood had to be placed on hold. 

Jamie had known she had the BRCA gene, and getting care was crucial.  She started a grueling and emotional treatment plan. She lost her hair and had to go through the treatment alone because of COVID-19. She had bilateral mastectomies and reconstruction because of her BRCA-1 gene mutation. But in less than two years, her cancer recurred, despite being treated with the most aggressive therapies of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. 

Once again, she was treated aggressively—more chemotherapy, more radiation, and a very aggressive surgery with chest wall resection. Then came immunotherapy, and because of the BRCA-1 gene, a targeted drug called a PARP inhibitor.

After all of this, she was also found to have another hereditary gene mutation causing Lynch Syndrome, putting her at increased risk for colon cancer and uterine cancer. The BRCA gene had already increased her risk for ovarian cancer, and she made the decision to have a total hysterectomy to protect her from new cancers. Her dream of being a mother seemed to have ended. 

However, she had saved embryos prior to her initial chemotherapy. Then, her younger sister, a mother of four, offered to be her surrogate…

After a long five-year journey, Jamie has remained in remission. She and her husband also celebrated their very first Christmas and New Year with their beautiful baby daughter, Ryder.

Let us marvel at these two examples of modern miracles … they serve to keep HOPE alive during the New Year!

Happy New Year to you all.