Timothy Leech acababa de celebrar su cumpleaños número 40, cuando recibió una noticia que cambió su vida. Timothy fue diagnosticado con carcinoma de células escamosas en etapa 4, una forma de cáncer de piel, en 2014. Los médicos le dijeron que le quedaba poco tiempo de vida. “Claro que me asusté, Pensé que me iba a ir muy rápido", dijo Timothy. Pero hoy, ocho años después, Timothy es un sobreviviente de cáncer. Él le da crédito a su esposa, Katie Leech, a su equipo médico y a un estudio clínico por llevarlo a donde está hoy, no completamente libre de cáncer, pero "tan pequeño que no se puede medir". Un estudio clínico es un estudio de investigación que ayuda a los investigadores a aprender más para ayudar a reducir el progreso, controlar y tratar ...
Willie Heard is a man of faith. His faith stood strong even after he got tragic news in September 2013. Heard was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of bone marrow cancers in which the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells. His cancer diagnosis came just months after retiring from his job at USAA and just shy of his 67th birthday. “I’m a religious person and a minister and, I think I remember telling the doctor, I said, ‘Doctor you do what you do, I’m gonna let God do what he does,’” said Heard, a resident of San Antonio, Texas. “[The cancer diagnosis] was a surprise to me, but I’ve always been a person that don’t really worry about stuff I can’t control, so I don’t let that bother me.”
Heard’s Decision to ...
Willie Heard es un hombre de fe. Su fe se mantuvo fuerte incluso después de recibir noticias trágicas en septiembre de 2013. Heard fue diagnosticado con síndrome mielodisplásico (SMD), un grupo de cánceres de médula ósea en los que la médula ósea no produce suficientes células sanguíneas sanas. Él recibió el diagnóstico de cáncer pocos meses después de retirarse de su trabajo en USAA y justo antes de cumplir 67 años de edad. "Soy una persona religiosa y un ministro y, creo que recuerdo haberle dicho al doctor, le dije: 'Doctor, haga lo que usted hace, y yo voy a dejar que Dios haga lo que Él hace'", dijo Heard, un residente de San Antonio, Texas. "[El diagnóstico de cáncer] fue una sorpresa para mí, pero siempre he sido una persona que realmente no se ...
15-year-old Anna Valdez fidgeted in her chair as her eyes scanned the stethoscope, cotton balls, and other medical supplies on the far wall of the exam room. Anna had traveled by bus to the hospital by herself, hoping to get some medical attention. But the uninsured California teenager did not receive the initial response she was anticipating from the resident physician. After a discussion with the nurse though, he was more responsive to her concerns and began outlining Anna’s course of treatment. “In that moment, I thought, ‘Wow, that is really impactful.’ I experienced a lot of bias and inequalities because I was poor, so I was really impressed that a nurse could have that kind of impact.” At 16 years old, Anna found out she was pregnant. She dropped out of ...
Wanda Montalvo sat at her desk working on paperwork, she could hear nurses and physicians bustling about in the lobby. It was the 1980s, and Wanda was proud to be the secretary for the medical director’s office at the local community health center in Brooklyn, New York. Wanda saw her position as “paying it forward,” as she depended on community health centers growing up in a low-income and underinsured Latino household. However, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more she could do to give back to her community. After earning her Bachelor of Nursing degree, the first-generation college student went on to earn her master’s degree in nursing from Long Island University and her PhD in nursing science and health policy from Columbia University in New ...
Thirteen-year-old Ricardo Correa sat in the pediatric endocrinologist’s office alongside his mother, listening with fascination and soaking up information like a sponge. When the appointment ended, he returned to his home in Panama and spent the next few years learning more about his own health and taking every opportunity to help others who were sick or hurt. By age 18, Ricardo knew he wanted to become a doctor who could stop the spread of infectious diseases and help prevent chronic diseases. “When I was a kid, my mother always said that I could do two things in my life,” Ricardo Correa, MD, EdD, said. “One was being a singer and another being a doctor. Of course, the singer part never worked out – I was not privileged to have a voice. But the doctor part always was ...
In a modest house in Maryvale, Arizona, a young Latino boy watched wide-eyed as the famous artist, Bob Ross, painted a masterpiece on TV. With each brush stroke and happy little tree, the boy’s excitement grew in anticipation for the end result – a beautiful piece of landscape art. The boy grew even more excited as he realized two of his other artistic role models – Mr. Rogers and Levar Burton from Reading Rainbow – would appear on TV later that day. Feeling inspired, the boy – Edward Dennis – scurried off to sketch some drawings and work on his own passion and talent for art. Now grown up, Edward is a freelance artist with an impressive resume that includes clients like Disney, Shimano, Giant Bicycles, Toyota, and various video game companies. But his ...
Leonel Rodriguez got some terrible news in November 2019. Doctors diagnosed Rodriguez, a South Texas resident, with mantle cell lymphoma – an aggressive, rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After going through several treatment options, his disease persisted. He soon learned about a potentially beneficial clinical trial for lymphoma patients at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. Clinical trials help researchers learn how to better slow, manage, and treat diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. “[Clinical trials were] the best way because, you know, I feel good now with the treatment,” Rodriguez said. “Now I feel I've been feeling well, and well, well.”
Rodriguez’s Decision to Participate in a Clinical Trial
Rodriguez first experienced problems in ...
Leonel Rodríguez recibió una noticia terrible en noviembre de 2019. Los médicos diagnosticaron a Rodríguez, un residente del sur de Texas, con linfoma de células del manto, una forma agresiva y rara de linfoma no Hodgkin. Los primeros medicamentos que tomó para tratar el cáncer en realidad empeoraron su condición. Pronto se enteró de un estudio clínico potencialmente beneficioso para pacientes con linfoma ofrecido por el Mays Cancer Center de UT Health San Antonio. Los estudios clínicos ayudan a los investigadores a aprender cómo reducir el progreso, manejar y tratar mejor enfermedades como el cáncer y el Alzheimer. "[Los estudios clínicos fueron] la mejor manera porque, usted sabe, ahora me siento bien con el tratamiento", dijo Rodríguez. "Ahora siento que me ...
