What happened, in summary

Susan Dunwoody was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer in 2015 after years of frequent urination and burping were followed by sudden, severe abdominal swelling. Her husband, Mac, remembers that they initially hoped for just 6 more months together. Susan chose to receive care at MD Anderson and approached treatment with acceptance rather than fear.

She first received several rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumors, followed by debulking surgery. After surgery, she went through a series of different chemotherapy combinations. Mac recalled that each combination worked for about 5 or 6 months before the cancer began progressing again, and her team then moved to another option. Near the end of her treatment, Susan became the first ovarian cancer patient at MD Anderson to receive genetically engineered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte immunotherapy.

Susan and Mac also created the Susan Dunwoody Fund for Ovarian Cancer Research in 2016. Susan understood that the experimental immunotherapy might not change her own outcome, but she valued the possibility that doctors could learn from her experience and help future patients. She lived for 7 years after diagnosis, with Mac describing almost 6 of those years as high-quality life. Susan ultimately died from ovarian cancer, and Mac continues to support research in her memory.