UT MD Anderson saves adventurous chordoma survivor

By 2023, Woody Eturralde had been experiencing back pain on and off for many years. Doctors near his home in Georgia chalked it up to his active lifestyle. He regularly enjoyed running, skydiving and riding a motorcycle, after all.

Woody visited surgeons and specialists, but X-ray imaging showed nothing concerning. Since he was in his 70s, he assumed the pain was part of getting older. He managed it with injections and over-the-counter medications.

But when he noticed a bump near his tailbone, a friend suggested he see a different specialist. An MRI revealed a large chordoma on Woody’s lower spine.

Woody remembers the moment when his doctor told him he had cancer. “It just blew me away,” he says.

Because this rare tumor was in a challenging location, his doctor recommended he go to UT MD Anderson to see neurosurgeon and spine specialist Laurence Rhines, M.D. He immediately requested an appointment.

Traveling to UT MD Anderson for chordoma care

Chordoma is a rare bone cancer that is usually found in the lower spine (sacrum) or skull base. If a chordoma can be surgically removed, the prognosis is usually good. But left untreated, it can grow and can cause pain and paralysis.

Woody still wasn’t sure about having surgery.

“At that time, I was not in favor of it,” he recalls. “I wanted to just let the cancer take its course.”

After years of seeking multiple opinions and still having his pain dismissed, Woody was overwhelmed and exhausted. But meeting with Rhines shifted his outlook. Rhines took his concerns seriously, and his personable attitude, clear answers and willingness to listen made Woody feel heard.

“He won my trust,” says Woody. “I changed my mind about surgery, and Dr. Rhines had a lot to do with that.”

Given the tumor’s location in the lower spine, colorectal surgeon George Chang, M.D., and plastic surgeon Jessie Yu, M.D., collaborated with Rhines on the procedure. In February 2024, the doctors removed the large chordoma, which measured nearly three-and-a-half inches.

Chordoma surgery and recovery

Typically, such a complex surgery requires five to eight weeks of recovery in the hospital. But Woody was determined to walk as soon as possible.

“In my home, we don’t use the word ‘can’t,’” he laughs. In preparation for his surgery, he did a lot of physical training, which included running, stretching and strengthening exercises.

He also took care of his mental health, buoyed by his trust in his care team. His strong faith helped him face the challenges of surgery and recovery.

“By the morning of my surgery, I walked in there with the fullest of confidence — no fear,” he recalls.

The surgery was a success. As soon as he woke up, he asked the nursing team to help him practice walking a few steps.

“From that point on, three to four times a day, I walked and walked and walked,” recalls Woody. “By the second week, I was walking and climbing steps by myself.”

Thanks to support from the inpatient nursing team and Woody’s grit and preparation, he walked out of the hospital in just under three weeks.

Pain-free and thriving, thanks to UT MD Anderson

Woody kept up his hard work once he got back home to Georgia. He started small, moving throughout the house and then going outside for short walks.

“It wasn’t easy. But before I knew it, I was walking 4 miles up the hills of Georgia,” he says.

Five months after he got home, Woody completed a 5K race. He recently went skydiving, too.

For Woody, making a full recovery takes daily work. His goal is not just to function, but to enjoy life and thrive.

“With hard work and training, you do not have to live with limitations,” he says.

He only had one major side effect: constipation. His UT MD Anderson team offered prescription treatments, but Woody has successfully managed it through diet, over-the-counter stool softeners and herbal tea.

Now 76, Woody is grateful to his care team for getting him back to what he loves.

“Dr. Rhines and his team are everything UT MD Anderson is known for and more. I am so grateful for their wisdom and knowledge,” he says.

He offers this advice to anyone going through cancer treatment: “There is no limit to what we can do if we try. Have confidence in yourself and your doctors.”

Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.