Stage III laryngeal cancer survivor: Why I call my MD Anderson care team ‘heroes’

After I was diagnosed with HPV-related throat cancer in December 2023, I planned to get a second opinion at MD Anderson, then follow their recommendations by getting treatment near my home in Austin. 

But when my first consultation at MD Anderson showed I had stage III laryngeal cancer, it became clear that getting cancer treatment there was really the best option. Everything you could possibly need is there under one roof — and excellence is literally everywhere you look.  

My throat cancer treatment

I was not considered a good candidate for surgery because of my primary tumor’s size and location. It was in a section of the larynx called the aryepiglottic fold. The cancer had also spread to a lymph node on the right side of my neck. It looked and felt like a small marble. 

Surgery posed a risk of damaging the surrounding tissues and causing permanent swallowing issues. Fortunately, my surgical oncologist, Dr. Neil Gross, had good news. He said the cancer was still “highly treatable,” and recommended six weeks of chemoradiation instead.

The good news continued when I met with radiation oncologist Dr. Jack Phan. My local oncologist had warned me I’d require a feeding tube before treatment began. But Dr. Phan said that wasn’t necessarily true, and MD Anderson physicians didn’t install them as a matter of course. 

I felt like I’d hit the chemotherapy lottery when I met with medical oncologist Dr. Renata Ferrarotto. She told me the type of drug I’d be receiving was not known to cause hair loss.

Side effects and my life after throat cancer treatment

I experienced some mild nausea, throat pain and skin irritation during and after cancer treatment. But I had medications to manage the first two side effects and skin creams to manage the third.

Looking back now, I consider those inconveniences to be well worth it. Because within two to three weeks of starting treatment, my tumors became noticeably smaller on scans. About four months after finishing treatment, I got the best news ever: I was cancer-free.

During one follow-up visit, Dr. Phan declared my larynx “pristine.” He said it looked as if nothing had ever happened there.

MD Anderson’s mission to end cancer is often deeply personal

I’m a retired electrical engineer. But I worked briefly as a licensed vocational nurse about 40 years ago. I was never good enough at it or mature enough to work at a place like MD Anderson. Still, that experience gave me some wonderful insight into the medical profession. 

Many of the people at MD Anderson are there not just because it’s a great place to work or they enjoy helping people, but because its mission to end cancer is deeply personal. Whether they were at one time cancer patients themselves, or someone they love was diagnosed with cancer, being exposed to what’s possible at MD Anderson set the course of their lives. 

The oncologists at MD Anderson are incredible. Each one of them is a brilliant, world-class cancer expert, yet they are not intimidating. They are warm, caring, approachable human beings who speak to you in plain English and answer your questions without making you feel silly.

That kind, respectful attitude permeates the entire place. It really is phenomenal. It’s like having a backstage pass to see humanity at its very best.   

They’re here when it matters most

I’m excited to know that MD Anderson will soon be building a location closer to me in Austin. I think it’s fantastic. Once it opens, I’ll probably start volunteering there. 

But I still plan to make the three-hour drive to Houston for all of my checkups. Why? Because I truly love my care team. They are my heroes.  

Just like firefighters run toward burning buildings and police officers run toward gunfire, the people at MD Anderson run toward cancer to save lives. They have seen the horrors of this disease up close and yet, they never shy away.

Instead, they dedicate their lives to helping people affected by cancer. People like me. I’m not rich or famous or well-connected. I'm just some random guy who was diagnosed with cancer. And they were — and still are — there for me.

My doctors at MD Anderson took me from stage III laryngeal cancer to cancer-free in just six months. And yet, they are all so humble about it. I can think of no better word than “heroes” to describe them.

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