Gastric Cancer: Do's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

At age 78, Do Lee faced stomach cancer after already losing his wife of almost 40 years to the same disease. Her cancer had been Stage IV, and watching her treatment initially made Do reluctant to undergo similar care himself. Persistent severe diarrhea eventually brought him back to MD Anderson, where he agreed to a treatment plan. He completed 4 rounds of chemotherapy and 25 rounds of radiation. On May 2, 2017, surgeons removed the remaining cancer along with two-thirds of his stomach. He spent 16 days in the hospital and needed round-the-clock help after discharge because he lived alone and initially could not swallow or cook for himself. Recovery also brought major lifestyle changes. Do lost 29 pounds, felt weak, and learned to eat small amounts about 5 times a day to avoid dizziness and light-headedness. By the time of the story, he could eat almost anything in small portions and had shown no evidence of disease since October 2017. Alongside recovery, he continued grieving his wife and found support through yoga, meditation, learning Japanese, and hopes of returning to volunteer work.