Hoag Cancer Patient Goes from “Nervous Talking” to Inspirational
“I feel very lucky,” Virginia said. “Everyone at Hoag
was just awesome.”
When Virginia Koury gets nervous, she starts talking. “Rambling,”
as she calls it, usually “about nothing.”
It didn’t take
Babak Rad, M.D., program director for Hoag Colorectal Cancer Program, or
Minh Nguyen M.D., medical oncologist, long to learn this about their patient. The two doctors did what the
world’s best doctors do when patients are facing stage 3
colorectal cancer with a high risk of metastasis and recurrence: They listened.
“Dr. Rad and Dr. Nguyen were very good for me. Sometimes they were
like therapists. I would go to the dark side, asking, ‘What if this
doesn’t work? What if it fails? What if the chemo isn’t the
right one?’” said Virginia, who had a 4-year-old at the time.
“Both of them were very positive, reassuring me that if it doesn’t
work, they’ll try something else. They were always patient with
me when I was rambling. I always left my appointments feeling positive.”
Virginia said
Hoag Family Cancer Institute’s reputation as the leading medical center in Orange County led her to Hoag.
And while she knows that she received expert treatment with the most state-of-the-art
robotic surgical techniques in the nation, that’s not the first
thing she thinks of when she thinks of the care she received.
The first thing she thinks of is the listening.
Colorectal cancer is scary, claiming more than 52,000 lives a year. When
Virginia began
radiation and
chemotherapy treatments, they were rough. And when she discussed the possibility that an 8-hour
complicated surgery might be the best treatment plan for her, the information
was a lot to take. But the compassion and understanding Virginia received
from every member of her medical team helped buoy her through the worst of it.
“Everyone was kind and understanding,” she said. “Dr.
Rad has always been conscious and sympathetic of my condition. His caring
attitude showed he really wanted to help me. I think this is true for
all of his patients.”
Dr. Rad is also dual board certified in general and colorectal surgery,
is a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and has
extensive expertise in performing minimally invasive robotic surgery.
When discussing her options, Dr. Rad explained that surgery would help
to ensure that her cancer would not return.
“It was my decision to go ahead with the surgery,” she said.
“I wanted to make sure the cancer was gone.”
Using the specialized
da Vinci robot, Dr. Rad removed Virginia’s rectum and more than 30 lymph nodes.
This meant that Virginia would be required to wear an ileostomy bag for
nine months.
“I wasn’t thrilled about wearing the bag afterwards, but as
long as I was cancer-free I was open to that,” she said.
Virginia remained hospitalized for a week following her surgery, during
which she said she marveled that she was never uncomfortable.
“The staff was really good. Very attentive. They explained everything,
which is good because you have to rely on them. The bag was difficult
to get used to, but they helped me figure it out,” she said. “I
remember not being uncomfortable. I had pillows, which made it comfortable.
I was up walking around the second day.”
Recovery from a surgery like this can leave patients feeling vulnerable
and physically weak. Virginia said that the nurses, doctors and medical
staff made sure that she got out of bed and walked as much as she could
to keep her strength up. They were kind, and they made her feel supported.
“I felt like a newborn baby, but they were very insistent in a nice
way to keep me getting up, explaining that getting out of bed is a good
thing for my recovery,” she said.
After nine months, Virginia was able to remove the ileostomy bag. Today,
she is 6 ½ years cancer-free. She plans to celebrate her seventh
year of post-cancer health by attending Paul McCartney and Queen concerts.
The enormity of a journey that took her from stage 3 colorectal cancer
to rocking out at stadium concerts is not lost on Virginia.
“I feel very lucky,” Virginia said. “Everyone at Hoag
was just awesome.”
She now plans to put her talkative nature to use to help others. She has
joined online discussion groups and is working within several cancer networks
to raise awareness of colorectal cancer.
“I realize how blessed I am to be alive. I am now dealing with my
past cancer experiences by helping others,” she said. “This
is the year for me!”