Cancer and Clinical Services Patient Stories

Patricia Smith is a private person — she doesn’t like to trouble others with the details of the ovarian cancer diagnosis she’s been dealing with since 2013. But when it comes to the exceptional care she has received from David O’Malley, MD, at the OSUCCC – James, she can’t say enough.

“I would tell anyone to go to The James,” says Patricia. “I believe it’s definitely increased my overall survival.”

Patricia didn’t start out as a patient of Dr. O’Malley’s. She lives 150 miles away from Columbus with her husband of 38 years and three dogs in Marion, Ind., on the same country land that her father used to farm. When she was first diagnosed, she went to the closest gynecologic oncologist.

She didn’t ask many questions or read ovarian cancer literature — everything sounded so frightening. “I was so shocked and scared. I didn’t know what a clinical trial was. And when my doctor said, ‘We’re going for a cure,’ I thought I’d be OK.”

After a hysterectomy and 18 weeks of treatments, Patricia had a three-year remission. But she wishes she’d known then what she knows now: that ovarian cancer often returns. And when it did return, she set out to learn all she could about her options. Just when she’d hit a low point — being turned away from what she thought might be a life-saving surgery by a doctor in New York — she happened upon an online video of Dr. O’Malley talking about ovarian cancer. “That was the first place I ever saw the man, and I said, ‘That’s my guy.’ I didn’t know anything about The James or Ohio State, and it’s just a few hours away from me,” she laughs. “If I’d only known, I’d have done things differently.”

And while Patricia knows you can’t get a do-over in life, she wishes she’d have started off at the OSUCCC – James with Dr. O’Malley. He put her on a clinical trial that has delivered successful results for 20 months now. A devout Christian, Patricia credits God with working through Dr. O’Malley to give her this opportunity. 

“The tumors have reduced so much, and I’ve been getting good results,” she says. “Dr. O’Malley says I’m in a good place right now. He’s very encouraging, considering what we’re dealing with.”

She is also grateful to nurse practitioner Courtney Arn for providing care that goes above and beyond. “In this seven-year journey, I’ve not met anyone like Courtney. She tells it like it is, but she’s so caring. She checks up on you,” says Patricia. “I’m on a couple of drugs for neuropathy, and she went to all lengths to get it approved by my insurance. She is so dedicated to her job.”

Now, Patricia and her husband can still enjoy their lives — taking their three dogs for long walks, tending to the forest they manage on their property and riding a 12-mile bike trail almost every day. The 300-mile round trip to Columbus for treatment is worth that increase in quality of life.

“It’s just a straight shot east, this place that has opened a lot more options for me,” she says. “I’m grateful.”