Searching for Hope: Ivan and Jose Find What They Need
Jose planned to leave his home in Mexico and enjoy a nice visit with his sons in the Chicago area. Life does not always go as planned, though. Two days into his visit in the summer of 2021, Jose was not feeling well. The 80-year-old had a very high fever and could not stop shaking. His son Ivan called an ambulance after seeing his father and Jose was off to the hospital.
Initially, Jose was diagnosed with anemia, but the doctors were concerned about what caused anemia in an older patient. After two weeks of recovery and a series of tests, Jose was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer that had spread to his liver. He was discharged from the hospital with orders to follow up with an oncologist.
The first oncologist Jose and his family met with was not overly optimistic. The recommended plan was a regimen of chemotherapy, not to cure the cancer, but to manage symptoms and offer the possibility of a little more time – months at best. The news was shocking and off-putting.
Everyone was scared and not ready to give up. Ivan thought they should get a second opinion, but did not know where to start. Like many people, he turned to Google. It was there that he found Dr. Srilata Gundala of Hope & Healing Cancer Services in Hinsdale, Illinois. Ivan read the positive reviews and appreciated that “Hope” was right there in the name. Hope was exactly what the family was looking for with the second opinion.
“I brought all the test results, including the MRI. We had everything ready,” says Ivan of that first appointment at Hope & Healing. Dr. Gundala reviewed the scans and asked and answered questions. Unlike the first oncologist, she believed Jose had options, “Dr. Gundala suggested other treatment on top of the chemotherapy. She gave us hope that we could all have more time together, not just to increase his lifetime, but to get to a cure,” recalls Ivan of that first meeting.
Jose, too, had a good feeling about Dr. Gundala, “She was very professional. I had a sense she knew what she was doing and would pick the right treatment.” There were tears during that initial visit, but they were coupled with a sense of hope, something that did not exist right after diagnosis and staging.
Jose started on a regimen of four cycles of chemotherapy and immunotherapy together. He went into the clinic for a few hours every three weeks for infusions. Dr. Gundala educated the family about what side effects Jose could expect. Miraculously, aside from general fatigue and weakness, Jose experienced no other side effects with the chemotherapy.
Almost two years later, and Jose is doing very well. He continues to receive immunotherapy infusions at Hope & Healing Cancer Services every three weeks and gets regular scans to check on the status of his remaining cancer. To date, his disease has dramatically shrunk, and ongoing MRIs continue to show improvement and shrinking disease. He has no negative side effects from the treatments.
Ivan remains grateful to both Dr. Gundala and the immunotherapy treatments she ordered, “I was surprised to hear about other treatments being available. People know about chemotherapy, but not about immunotherapy. It can provide a second opportunity for people and even a cure.”
Dr. Gundala, owner and founder of Hope & Healing Cancer Services agrees, “With the use of immunotherapies, cancer patients and the physicians who treat them have another effective tool to use against cancer. These treatments provide new options to treat cancer in a way that uses the body’s resources rather than chemotherapies that harm healthy cells along with cancer cells. As research continues, more patients will be able to take advantage of what immunotherapies can offer.”
When asked what he might say to that first oncologist who suggested he did not have long to live, Jose is clear, “I would tell her she needs to study more and find out about new treatments to help her patients! There is more than chemotherapy now.” Ivan feels the same, “This is 2023. There are more options now. Dr. Gundala is on top of the innovations out there.”
Aside from any feelings the family might have about the first oncologist they met with, more important to them is that others learn about immunotherapies and how they might help people diagnosed with cancer.
Jose acknowledges he was afraid about his advanced diagnosis and what chemotherapy and its side effects might have on him, another reason he feels so grateful Ivan found Dr. Gundala, “When other people hear the word cancer, they might only think about death and start waiting to die. With Dr. Gundala I had hope. She explained everything to me. I had no more sense of waiting to die because I now had hope.” “Yes,” says Ivan, “The clinic’s name, Hope & Healing, relates to what they do. We looked for hope and found it. Dr. Gundala talks to patients so they all feel special. She gives hope. The whole staff treats us like family. We are all family now.”
Author’s Note: Grateful thanks to Ivan for helping translate for his father, Jose. The family also wanted to express gratitude to all the staff at Hope & Healing Care Services where many staff are bilingual and help as needed with language gaps.
Written By: Sheila Quirke, MSW
Reviewed By: Srilata Gundala, MD
