A Second Opinion
A Second Opinion
By December 2021, I was finished with all treatment and starting to really feel better. But what now? It was strange, everything was just over. Was I back to normal? Was the cancer gone? What do I do now? My dad, who had been supportive throughout, never told me what to do, but asked me to get a second opinion. My father has had cancer twice. He had prostate cancer over twenty years ago and has been dealing with fourth-stage melanoma for years. Because he went to the right place for treatment, he has been tumor-free for almost ten years. My father reasoned that there are so many new advances in cancer research that it is crucial to be on the cutting edge. He inspired me to read the book “The Breakthrough” by Charles Graeber. I highly recommend it; it is a fascinating and intense look at the journey to immunotherapy. I’m also lucky to live near so many well-known and respected cancer research centers here in New York.
Under Dr. Jefferey Weber’s care at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, Dad participated in a clinical trial using the latest immunotherapy, and the results were astounding. I agreed to the second opinion, so my dad asked Dr. Weber whom he might recommend. I met Dr. Ruth Oratz at the Perlmutter Cancer Center on 34th Street in Manhattan two weeks before Christmas in 2021. Dr. Oratz, or “Dr. O” as I have come to know her over these last four years, was warm, welcoming, and efficient. My brother came with me, and I am glad he did because he picked up on things that I missed. It felt like some weird dream, going to this immense research/treatment center in the middle of New York City. It all seemed so big, and now it’s a new chapter. Dr. O agreed with all the treatment I received upstate, but said she was happy I was with them now. There were discrepancies in some of my reports, but Dr. O straightened them out right away, and I felt that this was where I should be.
I have to admit, going to the Perlmutter Cancer Center is impressive. It has several floors of specialty services. When I had a scare with my shoulder last year, I saw a doctor on another floor who specializes in cancer of the bones. Another impressive thing to me is that when you get your blood drawn before your appointment, the results are in your chart before you see the doctor. The first time I went, I was sitting in the waiting room, and my phone dinged with the results. I was surprised. Back home, you have to wait at least a couple of days. They have streamlined that because they need your bloodwork to interpret what’s going on in real time.
Dr. O continued my use of Letrozole, which is an aromatase inhibitor, or hormone blocker, and she added another drug, Verzenio. Verzenio (acemaciclib) is an oral medication that treats certain types of HR/HER2 breast cancer. It is a targeted therapy that works by inhibiting CKDs 4 and 6 to slow cancer growth in addition to hormone therapy. It is a serious drug that had to come from their pharmacy at the cancer center. They would call me a week beforehand, then mail it right to my door. The pills came in a packet labeled with each day. There was Monday morning, Monday evening, and so on. There were all kinds of warnings about handling this drug, such as it shouldn’t be touched with bare hands. I thought, Jeez, if I can’t touch it with my bare hands, cancer look out! And like chemo, you run the risk of low white blood cell count from Verzenio, but the only side effect I had was diarrhea. And I had that for two years every single day! Unfortunately, immunotherapy is not yet effective for breast cancer, but when the breakthrough comes, it will be in a place like Perlmutter. If there are going to be complications or advancement of my disease, at least I am at a place on the cutting edge of cancer research.
Just walking into the building inspires awe in me. Never in a million years would I think that I would be coming to this place every three months to keep an eye on my condition. I googled Isaac and Laura Perlmutter to see who those folks were. Isaac Perlmutter is an Israeli-American billionaire and former CEO of Marvel Comics. Laura Perlmutter has served as a trustee on NYU Medical Center’s board of trustees since 1993. Laura and Isaac Perlmutter are major contributors to Langone Medical Center. As challenging as this experience has been, knowing that there are billionaires in the world who use their wealth and good fortune to do good has contributed to my healing. I never expected to love the color pink, but there you go. It’s hard to believe I have been going to Dr. O for the past 4 years. I will go next Tuesday after a six-month mark instead of three. I’ll take it and be grateful.