Cancer and Clinical Services Patient Stories

Living to see family milestones

“I needed the best of the best,” Susan Whitcomb says. “That’s why I went to The James.”

Susan first experienced bleeding from her bowel, which was dismissed as hemorrhoids after a quick exam by her family doctor. “I just accepted what he said,” she explains. “I didn’t have a colonoscopy and simply tried to watch things, like how much I was lifting.” When vaginal bleeding began, Susan followed up with a local gynecologist. This time, an exam led to a biopsy.

“That’s when I got a phone call telling me I had cancer,” she says. “After so much time looking for answers, I had a hard time processing what I was being told.”

A subsequent colonoscopy revealed that Susan’s peritoneal tumor was too large for easy removal. “I needed to go somewhere with some proven experts,” she explains. “After talking with a personal contact, it was clear to me that the place I needed to go was The James. I wanted to live, and they know what they’re doing.”

Susan’s treatment plan included removal of her colon, a colostomy bag for five months, radiation, eight months of chemotherapy, participation in a clinical trial and hereditary testing. “I was dumbfounded at the start of all this,” she says. “At the first birthday party for one of my grandchildren, all I could think about was whether I’d be around to see him start kindergarten. I worried a lot about my kids and grandkids being at risk too, so the hereditary testing was really important.

“Starting at my very first visit, every person on my care team — I think of them as my doctors-plus — took all the time I needed to explain things and make sure I was OK,” Susan says. “It’s truly a family environment at The James, and they made sure I was comfortable with water, the right room temperature, a blanket.

“To be honest, I didn’t really have very many questions — I didn’t want to dwell on anything – but they all respected that,” she says. “They just told me I was doing great at each visit, and that was enough for me. It wasn’t until much later that I found out that I was at Stage 4 when I first arrived at The James.

“If I hadn’t gone there, I know I wouldn’t have survived. They saved my life. It’s something they do every day, but this time they did it for me.”