Three-time cancer survivor: Why I keep returning to MD Anderson

Over the past 10 years, I’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and colorectal cancer. I was treated at MD Anderson for the last two cancers.

Growing up, I learned never to change horses midstream. That’s why I keep coming back to MD Anderson. I’ve been working with its doctors now for seven years, and with Dr. Janet Tu at MD Anderson in Sugar Land for three. If you’re already batting 1,000 with one team, why would you want to switch?

Cancer treatment close to home offer convenience and expertise

Another reason I love MD Anderson is that the Sugar Land location is so close to my home.

Having an MD Anderson location so close by really took the stress off of me. I was cared for by premier doctors and amazing nurses, and the staff all treat me like family. Everything runs like a well-oiled machine, too, from the time you check in until the time you walk back out. Even parking is easy. So, it’s a seamless operation.

My first cancer diagnosis: prostate cancer

My first cancer diagnosis came about during a routine checkup in 2010. My doctor had been monitoring my rising PSA level for several years. Once it reached a certain threshold, she ordered a biopsy.

Of the 12 samples taken, only one came back positive for prostate cancer, so my doctor recommended radiation therapy to treat it. I took her advice, and the cancer never returned.

My non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis led me to MD Anderson for treatment

I found out I had non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013 after my stools turned dark and I had a little pain under my left shoulder blade. A colonoscopy showed blood, but no cancer. An endoscopy revealed a mass the size of a grapefruit in my stomach. Additional testing indicated the tumor was non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

My doctor recommended MD Anderson for my non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment, so I called and made an appointment. Initially, I thought I’d need to have surgery, but after six months on a chemotherapy regimen called R-EPOCH, the lymphoma was gone. I get checked every year, but it’s never come back.

My third diagnosis: colorectal cancer

Early last year, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, which I hope will be my last cancer diagnosis. I thought the pain in my lower right abdomen might be from my appendix, but then my stools got dark again. I had a mass the size of a small orange removed from my colon. After undergoing 12 cycles of a chemotherapy combination called FOLFOX at MD Anderson in Sugar Land, I’ve been cancer-free since May 2019.

Looking ahead and practicing an attitude of gratitude

I realize it’s pretty unusual to have had three different types of cancer. So I’ll be getting genetic testing later this year to see if I have any inheritable conditions that might make my children or grandchildren more likely to develop the disease.

In the meantime, I just keep thanking God for what I have. Because I still have a little neuropathy in the tips of my fingers and toes as a side effect of the chemotherapy, but it’s getting better. And any day I’m above ground and in my right mind is a good one. There’s always somebody worse off than me. So, I can’t complain.

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