Conquering Cancer Three Times
MaryAnn Sorge was 59-years-old when she had her first encounter with cancer. Since then, the 74-year-old has conquered cancer three times with the care and support of New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (NYCBS) by her side.
Fifteen years ago, MaryAnn was growing more and more frustrated with the hoarseness in her voice. She was soon diagnosed with laryngeal cancer by an ear, nose, and throat specialist after a biopsy proved a cancerous tumor on her vocal cord. She sought guidance at NYCBS with Radiation Oncologist Dr. Joseph Cirrone, who recommended radiation treatment.
Her radiation treatment was challenging. She felt as if she had terrible sunburn in her throat. Everyone at the office and home tried to make her as comfortable as possible. But since it was difficult for her to eat or drink, she would often receive IVs for hydration and consume soft foods like mashed potatoes every day.
MaryAnn could not speak for eight months. She could whisper, but it would hurt too much to talk. So, her kids surprised her with a giant chalkboard to write on. Then one morning, her husband asked if she wanted a cup of tea, and she said she would like coffee. At that moment, she realized she had spoken and sounded like herself again.
Almost a decade later, a routine CAT scan discovered MaryAnn had small cell lung cancer. In her case, the doctor performed a biopsy, but the tumor was very close to her aorta. Again, she underwent radiation with four rounds of chemotherapy. Maryann continued to see Dr. Cirrone for radiation and credits NYCBS hematologist-oncologists Dr. William LiPera, Dr. David Chu, and Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse Practitioner MaryAnn Fragola with her successful outcomes.
“My doctors were so wonderful,” MaryAnn said. “There was not one day that I felt nauseous with chemotherapy. They prescribed me preventative medicine, and palliative care provided me with 100% relief.”
Two months later, Maryann underwent brain radiation as a preventative measure since chemotherapy does not go the brain. Losing her hair for a second time, she wore wigs and put her makeup on every day despite how she felt.
Maryann was overwhelmed with all of the different tests she had to take and everything she was unfamiliar with, but her family at home and NYCBS helped her get through it. “I had a lot of support from my family,” she said. “My husband was a wonderful man. He took me every single day for my radiation.”
After her husband’s passing, MaryAnn sold the home she raised her family in. Eager for a new beginning, she bought a house close to her daughter and applied for a part-time position as a lunch lady at her grandson’s local high school.
Her PET scans showed she was cancer-free until about two months ago. The scan showed two cancerous lesions, one in each lung. That’s when MaryAnn and her care team decided to do eight CyberKnife treatments, which allowed her to continue working with no downtime.
“Dr. Cirrone is such a wonderful man, who has been with me since the beginning,” she says. “He called me the next day and said, ‘Let’s get rid of this thing now. You’ve been through enough. And that's when I started my treatment.”
“We caught it early,” she explains. “That's the key.” NYCBS Nurse Practitioner Joanne Palladino often made remote calls to MaryAnn, providing an extra layer of care to her treatment and a friendly reminder that she was never alone. Now that CyberKnife treatment is over, her care team continues to monitor her closely.
“NYCBS is a wonderful place. The nurses and everyone are so sweet and so accommodating. They care. I can't say enough about them,” MaryAnn gushes. “They were just absolutely fantastic and made you feel so comfortable. I love them all. They’re all sweethearts.”