Stage 4 lung cancer: Randy's story

Randy Rothwell remembers the winter of 2017. “My brother and I were out shoveling snow and my shoulder was hurting. I thought I’d thrown something out, so I went to the doctor but they couldn’t find anything wrong.”

Weeks later at work, a clue to his shoulder pain emerged when Randy coughed up what looked like a small piece of stone. He brought it home and with the help of his wife Frankie, sent a video to his primary doctor who thought it might be a tonsil stone, a hardened cluster of minerals, food debris and germs that can sometimes form.

“I was sent for a scan,” recalls Randy. “That’s when they found a golf-ball sized tumor in my left lung and cancer on my tonsil.”

Soon after being referred to Roswell Park Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Randy was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Surgery was not an option. “I learned that I was only the second person in Roswell Park’s history to have stage four lung cancer on their tonsil.”

Receiving Roswell Park care closer to home

Still processing his diagnosis, Randy, a lifelong resident of Mayville, NY in Chautauqua County, asked about options other than surgery and was referred to Jairus Ibabao, MD, Medical Director at Jamestown Medical Oncology Hematology. Part of Roswell Park’s Care Network, this community practice is located at 21 Porter Avenue in Jamestown, and offers an on-site chemotherapy and infusion center, as well as medical and gynecologic oncology, hematology care and treatment in Chautauqua County.

“Fortunately, Dr. Ibabao said he would take me on as a patient. He started me with chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, but that didn't go well,” says Randy. “I'm not a water drinker, and when you're doing chemo, you must keep yourself hydrated which I didn’t do, so I ended up taking multiple visits to the emergency room.”

To shrink his tumor with a treatment that he could better tolerate, Randy was prescribed a course of Keytruda®, an immunotherapy designed to help patients’ immune systems detect and fight cancer cells. More than 30 treatments and two years later, Randy’s PET scan came back clean.

But a follow-up scan 18 months after his clean report detected a new spot, this time on Randy’s right lung. “I thought, oh my God, but fortunately Dr. Ibabao said that I was still a candidate for treatment, and if I wanted to go through it again, we could do it. So we did it, and I'm now two years in remission.”

Randy remains grateful for his recovery and the ongoing care he received every step along the way. “Doctor and nurse visits to our home were set up without us even asking. We had so much support that extended to my wife as well as family members. After we found out I was clear this last time, I continued to do follow up scans and last year Dr. Ibabao called to let me know that when he looked at my most recent scans he saw something suspicious in my bowel area. It turned out to be a diverticulitis flare up and was treated with antibiotics. But if he hadn’t let me know something was going on, it could have gotten much worse. Dr. Ibabao follows up. And he literally saved my life three times.”

Being treated closer to home made cancer treatments much easier for Randy. “Not having to drive 90 minutes each way to Roswell Park in Buffalo helped because I didn’t need to worry about traveling distances and could get home quickly to rest. When I rang the Victory Bell to announce my remission all the staff came out of their offices to give Frankie and I great big hugs. They make you feel like you're part of the family, and they are very special people.

“I can't say enough good things about Dr. Ibabao. He's a wonderful man with a great sense of humor.” Randy also appreciates the clear channels of communication between his family doctor and Dr. Ibabao. “I didn’t have to do extra bloodwork or explain my case at visits because my doctors kept each other informed.”

Access to advanced comprehensive expertise

“While Jamestown Medical Oncology and Hematology was already a well-established practice with caring staff, an infusion center, and an on-site pharmacy, our Roswell Park connection enhances patient access to advanced therapies and approaches, leading technologies, clinical trials, and collaborations with top medical and science experts,” says Dr. Ibabao. “We are fully equipped with sophisticated chemotherapy equipment, individual chemotherapy treatment, injection rooms and a CLIA-certified phlebotomy laboratory. Patients can get on-site blood-test results including tumor-marker testing, without delays. Our goal is to conquer cancer and blood disorders and significantly improve outcomes for our patients. Being part of the Care Network helps us do that.”

For Randy Rothwell, feeling safer and well cared for brings peace of mind. He continues with six-month scans and maintains the medication port that was implanted for his immunotherapy treatments. “I’m leery about having it taken out because I’ve already had cancer come back one time. I might think about having it removed in the future, but for now, I go to the office every month for a port flush.

“I thank God every day,” he says. “I thank Dr. Ibabao and his staff and everyone, my family, my wife, my friends and our loving support pets. Dr. Ibabao said my case has been a miracle. We tell him he's our miracle.”