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NCI Cancer Bulletin: A Trusted Source for Cancer Research News
NCI Cancer Bulletin: A Trusted Source for Cancer Research News
September 28, 2004 • Volume 1 / Number 37 E-Mail This Document  |  Download PDF  |  Bulletin Archive/Search  |  Subscribe

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When I was diagnosed with the recurrent cancer, as I recall, it was depression, fear, and the instinct to survive that were with me. When I was accepted into the treatment protocol, hope was awakened in me along with the other emotions. I remember being told that there were about 5 chances in 100 to get a total remission. I was determined then to make it 6 cases in 100…I think it is a miracle that I have been cured of cancer. It is a miracle of hardworking people believing that they can make a difference…that is you and your staff and all the NCI. It is also a miracle of family and friends giving support. Keep up the good work, you really make a difference. Thanks. - J.H.I thank God for this miracle. For the first time in my life I saw doctors who actually listended to me and took the time to answer all my questions - and I had a lot of them [about advanced lymphoma]. I trust the NIH. When other cancer patients ask me about it, whether they have insurance or not, I tell them that they will get the best possible care there. - D.H.I think it's good for my daughter. I have pictures of her and all the girls waiting for their CT scans, or in the hospital together getting IL-2 …everybody's going through the same thing. They all get their blood drawn together. They hold each other's hands. They talk about their medicines and how big the capsules are, boasting, I can take three (or four) at a time. She doesn't have that anywhere else and I don't either, except at our church. The NIH and the Children's Inn became a second home to us. - M.D.We are two sisters who participated in the NCI Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer study. We lost both our maternal grandmother and mother to ovarian cancer. By the time our family was put in touch with NCI in the early 1980s, we were in our 30s and our mother's two sisters had developed ovarian cancer. Our aunts pleaded with us, as they were dying, to do everything that we could to find out why so many women in our family were developing this disease. From the moment we arrived at the NIH center, we were treated not just as case histories, but as an integral part of the research team. Even after our NCI visit, the study team continued their support with follow-up calls to see how we are doing. We both strongly believe that our 20-year experience as NIH research subjects has enabled us to receive the best and most up-to-date medical care. - N. and J.Hope's a wonderful thing for patients like me, who consider the clinical center to be a place of last resort. When I came here, my doctor had dismissed me; I didn't have anywhere else to turn. I was dreadfully ill and had no idea what I should do. I came here purely for research, but following diagnosis, I was offered treatment. Those of us who have been dismissed elsewhere and have been told there is nothing else to be done... by coming here, we have one more chance to look at our problems, maybe another roll of the dice? another turn at bat, if you will. - C.W.I have large B-cell non-hodgkin's lymphoma with CD-20 and an participating in one of Dr. Wyndham Wilson's clinical trials. I wanted to tell you I have never encountered such a caring, skilled, knowledgeable group of people in my life. The doctors, nurses, and staff all went way beyond anything that was reasonable to detail my treatment, share prepublication copies of research papers, explain to my family what was going on and generally treat us with kindness and expertise. Granted, I have an aggressive form of cancer, but I still feel like a lucky person to be treated by such high-quality people. - J.C.Some of these testimonials appear courtesy of Pat McNees, an NIH clinical center writer.