Todd
“Let’s beat this disease!”
Todd was 43, fit, and an avid tennis player with no family history of gastroesophageal cancer when he was diagnosed, entirely by chance. In April 2018, an endoscopy for an unrelated reason led to a biopsy that came back positive for esophageal cancer, caught early as an incidental finding.
Treatment
Scans showed the cancer had not spread (Stage 1A/1B). At Memorial Sloan Kettering the tumor was removed endoscopically, and in early May 2018 he underwent an esophagectomy to reduce the chance of recurrence. Within three to four months he was back to most of his regular activities.
A new normal
“It’s life changing, but you learn to adapt,” Todd said. His message: don’t give up hope. People can resume a fulfilling life after treatment. Hope, optimism, and perseverance are his mantras.
Jerry Seltzer
“We see God’s hand in all of this.”
Adopted, Jerry located his biological father through an ancestry DNA test at 44. His father shared that the family carried Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC), linked to the CDH1 gene, and connected Jerry with his cousin, Lynn DeGregorio, who founded the Foundation in 2006 after the 10th member of her family died of the disease.
Lynn directed Jerry to a National Institutes of Health study, where he tested positive for the mutation. He chose to have a gastrectomy and, after about a year and a half, returned to full health, fitter than ever. He now supports others in the CDH1 community and hopes gene therapy may one day eliminate this cancer.
Dr. Parry Guilford of the University of Otago, who discovered the CDH1 gene, sits on the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board.
Frank Licciardi
Award-winning service
Diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer as a relatively young man, Frank underwent intensive treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Afterward he began volunteering in MSK’s Patient-to-Patient counseling program and helped build its Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality (PFACQ), which he chaired beginning in 2018 and now serves as Chair Emeritus.
His advocacy has improved communication about end-of-life issues, smoothed transitions from treatment to monitoring, and strengthened survivorship care. He also serves as the patient advocate on the NCCN Esophageal/Gastric Clinical Guidelines committee.
In 2020 Frank received the United Hospital Fund’s Excellence in Health Care Award, the first patient advocate from any healthcare facility to be so honored.
