129: Rebecca Esparza survived ovarian cancer and thyroid cancer | cisplatin | bleomycin| etopicide
Release Date: 10/22/2024
152: erin bloodworth exercise oncologist | fitness assessment | individualized exercise program | lymphedema | neuropathy
Cancer Interviews
A clinical exercise physiologist by trade, Erin Bloodworth sought a career change and became an exercise oncologist. This enabled her to take her expertise and apply it to helping cancer patients, which she does through Northwestern Medicine Living Well. Erin says whether a patient is going through cancer treatment or is post-treatment, she puts the patient through an individualized exercise program. She assesses the patient's health with tests tied to their ability to grip objects and go from a sitting position to a standing position and...
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151: Stewart Greenfield survived stage IV bladder cancer | cisplatin | gemcidibine | novolumab | immunotherapy
Cancer Interviews
For Stewart Greenfield, the third time was the charm. After checking pictures of his bladder in 2016, two doctors told him he didn’t have long to live; a third doctor told him he had Stage IV metastatic bladder cancer, but insisted he needed to be treated. The cancer had burned a hole in his bladder and attacked lymph nodes from his groin to his neck. Treatment included a chemotherapy cocktail of cisplatin and gemcidibine, plus qualifying for an immunotherapy, novolumab. It was a smashing success. Stewart says his urinary function is normal and he is able to...
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150: Noelle Gatlin survived Stage II pancreatic cancer | Whipple procedure | pancreatic duodenectomy
Cancer Interviews
Noelle Gatlin had to endure a lengthy, multi-step process, but she survived Stage II pancreatic cancer. A visit to an emergency department revealed a mass near her pancreas. She was transferred to a hospital, where a second CT scan resulted in her diagnosis. Her care team placed a duodenal stent in Noelle, then a bile duct stent. She next underwent a 12-infusion chemotherapy regimen with folfirinox. Then she was ready for a Whipple procedure, a pancreatic duodenectomy, which was a success. Noelle says because she took care of herself before,...
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149: Laurie Adami survived follicular non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | Yescarta CAR-T Therapy | Bexxar | Gazvya
Cancer Interviews
Laurie Adami seemed to have it all. She was the president of her company, at age 40, she had just had a son and still found time to lead an active lifestyle. However, in 2003, her health took a turn for the worse. She felt a lump in her abdomen, experienced frequent, lengthy sinus infections and chronic fatigue. All this led to a diagnosis of Stage IV Follicular Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. After six unsuccessful treatment regimens, she achieved complete remission on the seventh try, completing a battle that ran twelve years. When Laurie initially brought her...
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148: Nicole Scott Is A Kidney Cancer Caregiver | Partial Nephrectomy | Caregiver Burnout | Hernia
Cancer Interviews
Nicole Scott and her husband, Keith, worked at the same Ohio hospital. When Keith noticed abdominal pain in his left side, he thought it was muscle-related because of the physical nature of his job. The pain radiated to his groin, then what had been random occurrences of the pain became more frequent. Nicole urged Keith to seek urgent care. An emergency room doctor called for a CT scan, thinking Keith had at worst, a hernia. However, the CT scan revealed a mass on Keith’s kidney. An MRI and partial nephrectomy resulted in a diagnosis of papillary renal...
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147: Helinka Carr survived bowel cancer | ileostomy bag | pelvic radiation disease | colonoscopy
Cancer Interviews
When Helinka Carr experienced limited rectal bleeding, because it was limited, she never thought her problem could rise to the level of cancer. She also thought the bleeding might be diverticulitis, which had been suffered by members of her family. However, at the urging of her doctor, she underwent blood tests and a colonoscopy. The latter revealed that she had bowel cancer. Thanks to two surgical procedures, she achieved survivorship but has to wear an ileostomy bag. She tires easily, but had the energy to start a line of ostomy lingerie for bag-wearing women...
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146: Guy Nakoa survived Stage IV breast cancer | mastectomy | ibrance | letrozole | radiation treatment
Cancer Interviews
Guy Nakoa has survived two diagnoses of Stage IV breast cancer. He initially felt a lump in his breast while showering in 2000. Because it wasn’t causing him and because he didn’t think could not get a type of cancer associated with women, I went more than a decade before he chose to have the lump checked out. In 2014, he sought medical attention, he was diagnosed and in 2016, he had the lump removed; but in 2020, the cancer returned. He was hoping it could be removed with chemotherapy and radiation treatment, but over his initial objection, he...
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145: Sheila Romanski twice survived breast cancer | autologous stem cell transplant | lumpectomy | diep flap
Cancer Interviews
Sheila Romanski is with us today after overcoming two diagnoses of breast cancer and the removal of a tumor in her left shoulder thanks to an autologous stem cell transplant. She tells the @CancerInterviews podcast her initial of Stage 1A breast cancer in 1996 came after her doctor suggested a routine mammogram at age 36 when at the time mammograms were not performed on women that young. Radiation treatment successfully addressed that diagnosis, but the following year, the cancer had metastasized to her shoulder. That brought on the stem cell transplant, plus chemotherapy and...
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144: Daniel Garza, Anal Cancer Survivor – Laguna Beach, California, USA
Cancer Interviews
In 2015, Daniel Garza experienced bloating and difficulty completing a bowel movement. A subsequent digital rectal exam revealed a mass on his sphincter, which led to a diagnosis of anal cancer. A surgical procedure got rid of the cancer, but it also resulted in his losing half of his sphincter and the temporary presence of a fistula, a tear which was like a second anus. He underwent a chemotherapy regimen of 5-fluorouracil, followed by radiation treatment, but another major challenge awaited Daniel, as he had to wear an ostomy bag, which he does to this day. He deals...
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143: Rick Upchurch survived chronic myelogenous leukemia | oral chemotherapy | blood cancer | tasigna | nilotinib
Cancer Interviews
Former NFL star Rick Upchurch seemed to be in good health, but in 2010, he began to experience night sweats, fatigue and aches and pains. He saw his doctor, who ordered blood work. The test results revealed his white blood cell count was very high, and his general practitioner gave him the address of another doctor to see. Rick and his wife were shocked to learn the doctor they had been told to see was an oncologist. That doctor called for a bone marrow biopsy, which confirmed Rick had chronic myelogenous leukemia, a rare form of blood cancer that is tied to a genetic...
info_outlineRebecca Esparza is a survivor. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and thyroid cancer, and she is still with us, advocating for others diagnosed with cancer. In 2001, when she appeared bloated, she sought medical attention, thinking the problem was tied to fibroid tumors. However, she was diagnosed with Stage 2B mixed yolk sac ovarian cancer, a rare form of the disease. While she was undergoing surgery, doctors made the decision to perform a “life-saving” radical hysterectomy. The operation was a success, but she needed to go on a chemotherapy regimen involving cisplatin, bleomycin and etiopicide. Rebecca achieved survivorship, but in 2008, she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. Treated with radioactive iodine, she again survived. These days, Rebecca, in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas, is an energetic cancer patient advocate on an individual and legislative level.
Rebecca Esparza was leading an active lifestyle in 2001, one which included running and aerobics. However, she started to experience fatigue and back pain, feeling bloated all the time. She had had fibroid tumors in the past and thought they might be the problem, but her doctor ordered a transvaginal ultrasound. Surgery was performed. It removed the tumors, but also revealed a rare form of ovarian cancer.
Rebecca called this the darkest time of her life. Not only had she been diagnosed with cancer at age 30, but during the surgery, doctors felt in order to save her life, they would have to perform a radical hysterectomy. Furthermore, because of work situation, Rebecca did not have health insurance or $20,000 for a deposit on the cost of her treatment. She was eventually able to proceed with the next step of her treatment, chemotherapy, thanks to indigent care aid from her county.
That regimen included three drugs. They were cisplatin, bleomycin and etopicide. The four-month regimen was very toxic, very difficult, but Rebecca survived. She ate little and when she did eat, she could rarely keep anything down. As a result, she lost 40 pounds, leaving her with a weight of 80 pounds. The drugs damaged her nervous system and to this day, she has neuropathy, resulting in numbness and tingling in her arms, hands, feet and legs.
Unfortunately for Rebecca Esparza, her cancer journey was not over. In 2008, she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. A few months after her diagnosis, she underwent a left neck dissection in which they removed the entire thyroid and 15 lymph nodes. She was prepared to on a regimen of radioactive iodine, consumed in pill form; however, a body scan revealed that wouldn’t be necessary because the surgery removed all the cancer, and once again, Rebecca was in remission.
Today Rebecca endures the complications from her treatment for both cancers, but feels blessed she is still around to experience those complications. She advocates for individuals diagnosed with cancer and she goes before state legislatures in an attempt to increase funding for cancer research.