Cancer Interviews

When Celeste Guptill believed her stomach was swollen a bit more than usual following the birth of her tenth child, she thought it might be due to age or some sort of gastrointestinal issue.  However, a CT scan revealed a tumor leading to a diagnosis of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP), a rare type of appendix cancer.  The tumor was surgically removed, but Celeste was fortunate to find a specialist who performed a second procedure called HIPEC, which included heated chemotherapy.  Cancer-free for more than five years, Celeste says that physically, she can do everything she could do prior to her diagnosis.

After experiencing gastrointestinal issues in 2022, it took a total of four visits to ERs and an urgent care before a CT scan revealed Sarah Bennett had a mass in her duodenum, near her pancreas.  The mass later led to a diagnosis of a rare cancer, neuroendocrine.  She did not have to undergo a Whipple procedure, but did have to take an oral form of chemotherapy.  That preceded a successful surgical removal of the mass.  Sarah achieved survivorship and said her health is very close to what it was before her diagnosis.

At age two, Jon Brent was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  He underwent an aggressive chemotherapy regimen, including vincristine, dexamethasone, methotrexate and prednisone, but after that still needed a bone marrow transplant.  He has achieved survivorship but is still in pain and expects to some extent he will be for the rest of his life.  Jon can no longer compete in contact sports but is an active participant in ultimate Frisbee.

When Hans Rueffert learned he had gastric stomach cancer at age 33, he had to have half of his stomach and half of his esophagus removed, followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatment.  However, because gastric juices were leaking into his lungs, he subsequently had to undergo surgery removing both his stomach and esophagus in full.  It was a battle, but Hans achieved survivorship.  He has to watch what he eats and how much he eats, but Hans has resumed his life as a chef, and is an active participant in competitive pickle ball.

Cancer patients are often urged to be fierce advocates for themselves as they go through a cancer journey; but members of their care team can also serve as advocates.  In this interview, Hardeep Phull, MD discusses how one’s doctor can advocate for his or her patients, with advocacy addressing insurance coverage for a needed procedure and assistance in getting a patient to qualify for a clinical trial.

Cancer just will not get the best of Don Helgeson.  A retired member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, he survived malignant melanoma in 1996 and colorectal cancer in 2007.  Just when he thought the disease was in his past, he was diagnosed with Stage 3B prostate cancer in 2020.  He opted to have his prostate removed, but thanks to a successful surgery, he achieved survivorship and enjoys excellent urinary and sexual function.

A print and runway model, Christine Handy withstood a lumpectomy, two mastectomies and a MRSA infection, plus a chemotherapy regimen featuring Herceptin and taxol to survive HER2+ breast cancer.  That inspired her to write a book, “Walk Beside Me,” and to produce a film, “Hello, Beautiful.”

What Deb Krier thought was a routine mammogram turned into a Stage Zero diagnosis of breast cancer.  Stage Zero became Stage III, which was upgraded to Stage IV HER 2+ invasive breast cancer.  Deb opted for a double mastectomy with no reconstruction.  She was subsequently diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, then papillary thyroid cancer.  Through 33 surgeries, she has survived all three cancers.

Vicki Wolf was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 37.  Ductal Carcinoma in SITU was successfully addressed with a lumpectomy.  However, Vicki was diagnosed with the same type of cancer just two years later.  Again, a lumpectomy.  When Vicki was 47, she was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  She survived that diagnosis but was again diagnosed with this type of breast when she was 58. That was in 2017.   Vicki survived, but not before undergoing a double mastectomy.  She now leads an active lifestyle and works as an advocate for men with breast cancer after her brother, Harvey Singer, was diagnosed.  They formed a non-profit, His Breast Cancer Awareness.

An ultrasound revealed a large mass in Melinda Bachini’s liver, and that led to a diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma, a form of bile duct cancer.  Doctors removed two thirds of her liver.  Unfortunately, her cancer returned three months.  Melinda was hoping to take part in a clinical trial, but when insurance wouldn’t cover a clinical trial, settled for a chemotherapy regimen.  When the chemo didn’t help but left her with a bunch of awful side effects, she decided to end the chemotherapy treatment and live as long as she could.  Then she and her husband found out about another opportunity for a clinical trial, pursued it, qualified for it.  The trial led to her achieving survivorship.