It all began over a hot cup of coffee, a warm smile and the need to speak with someone who knew what she was going through.

Colorectal cancer patient Ming Song-Gorry and volunteer Mercedes Malato Pavlu feel they met by fate in between Ming’s appointments in May 2023.

“I just ran into Mercedes while walking through the Mays Clinic to get a coffee, and we hit it off instantly, it was like we’d known each other forever,” Ming says of the encounter.

MD Anderson’s on-site volunteering program administrators strategically place volunteers across many areas of MD Anderson’s Texas Medical Center Campus and at our Houston-area locations.

Mercedes, who usually volunteers in the MD Anderson Nellie B. Connally Breast Center or the Julie and Ben Rogers Breast Diagnostic Clinic, was taking a brief break when she met Ming. While they might not have the same cancer diagnosis or experience in common, the two quickly found they had other similarities.

Different cancer diagnoses, similar emotions

“I was a single mom of a daughter like Mercedes, a hard worker and business owner,” Ming says. “I also came to MD Anderson overwhelmed but determined.” 

Ming was living in Harlingen, Texas, in 2014 when a colonoscopy revealed a finding in her colon. She reached out to a friend, a nurse, for advice. This friend advised Ming to seek care at MD Anderson as soon as possible.

She was diagnosed with stage IVb colorectal cancer.

Ming was keenly aware of the feelings that Mercedes had faced, especially the uncertainty of what she'd face following her cancer diagnosis.

It was 2002 in her native Peru when Mercedes first noticed a hard lump in her breast. Due to a mishap with her mammogram, the lump went undiagnosed while she worked abroad. Within six months, it had metastasized to stage III HER2 positive breast cancer and spread to her lymph nodes.

A nurse practitioner at the U.S. Embassy in Peru suggested Mercedes seek care at MD Anderson. She arrived in Houston with two bags and her teenage daughter, scared and unsure.

The support of a survivor and MD Anderson volunteer

Mercedes remembers feeling uneasy as she arrived for her first appointment. As fate would have it, the very first person she encountered was a volunteer handing out pamphlets and blankets.

“I was so afraid of the unknown and she was just so warm and kind. She listened to my fears and concerns,” Mercedes recalls of the volunteer. "We ended up crying together, but she told me so many positive stories. She gave me strength and the hope I desperately needed in that moment.”

After chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy, plus a clinical trial focused on non-recurrence, Mercedes was declared cancer-free. In 2005, she decided to give back and became a volunteer at MD Anderson.

“I know firsthand how important it is and what a difference it can make for a patient to speak with a survivor,” Mercedes says.

Always looking forward

The cancer has spread to Ming’s liver and pancreas, resulting in ongoing rounds of treatments and surgery. Since beginning treatment at MD Anderson in 2015, she’s had eight surgical procedures, always followed by chemotherapy.

Though she now lives in Florida, she returns regularly for her treatment. She’s always happy to see one familiar face.

“Whenever I go back for surgery, I’m up and walking around the ICU as soon as I can. I’m eager to recover. Mercedes is always there every time to visit with me.  She will walk with me, or we’ll share lunch or coffee,” Ming says. “She always makes time to see me.”

Mercedes tells Ming she is an inspiration and that her drive to keep going and looking forward is admirable.

“Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe I’m still here, but I am still here,” Ming says emphatically. “I believe there’s a reason for that. So, I exercise, eat healthy and do volunteer work at my home in Daytona Beach.”

Ming enjoys knitting, crocheting and keeping up with her daughter, a graduate of Rice University who lives in the Houston area.

Often, she and Mercedes meet for lunch outside of MD Anderson. They discuss their families, staying active and Ming’s plans to return to Houston and find a home near her daughter. She intends to follow in Mercedes’ footsteps and apply to become an MD Anderson volunteer herself.

"We are both eager and excited for that day to come,” Mercedes says.

Learn about volunteer opportunities at MD Anderson.