When Terry Redeker was diagnosed with small cell carcinoma lung cancer, he needed immediate, aggressive treatment.
Terry was grateful to learn that the care he needed was available right in Memphis thanks to Dr. Bilawal Ahmed and Regional One Health Cancer Care.
Now, Terry is getting back to the things he enjoys, while continuing to see Dr. Ahmed for monitoring and preventative care.
There is never a good time for a cancer diagnosis, but for Terry Redeker, it couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Terry had recently lost his job when he started experiencing shortness of breath. Concerned, he went to see his doctor: “He did an X-ray and saw that my lung was completely collapsed and there was something blocking the lung,” Terry said.
His doctor sent him to the emergency department at Regional One Health, where Terry had CT scans and a biopsy. For Terry, who was just 51 and healthy, the diagnosis was a shock: small cell carcinoma in his lung near the esophagus that would require immediate, aggressive treatment.
Terry, who lives in Memphis, was pleasantly surprised to learn he could receive that treatment right at Regional One Health.
While Terry was familiar with the hospital’s reputation as a trauma center and essential access hospital for the Mid-South, he was surprised to learn the health care system also offers one of the most advanced oncology services in the region.
Regional One Health Cancer Care is an academic oncology practice in partnership with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and has earned prestigious accreditation from the Commission on Cancer. Its medical and surgical oncologists are specialists in the diagnoses they treat, and many of them participate in national panels that establish the standards for care.
Terry saw medical oncologist Bilawal Ahmed, MD, a lung and prostate cancer specialist.
“I was diagnosed at the end of October, and by mid-November I was already having treatment,” Terry said. “I was able to have my first round of chemotherapy before the port was even put in.”
Medical oncologist Dr. Bilawal Ahmed offered the advanced expertise Terry needed. Terry was grateful to find treatment near his home in Memphis.
Terry would ultimately have six rounds of chemo followed by a month of twice-a-day radiation sessions. While aggressive treatment is what he needed to beat cancer, it was by no means easy – but his team at Regional One Health Cancer Care was with him every step of the way.
Dr. Ahmed’s nursing team helped make sure Terry could access all the care and medications he needed. He lost his health insurance when he was laid off, so they helped him apply for disability benefits and access a program to help with the cost of medication.
They also helped him with side effects, the worst of which came when the radiation caused burns to his esophagus that made it impossible to eat for several weeks.
Terry’s weight had already plunged due to chemotherapy, and as he struggled through day after day of being unable to eat, it plummeted to below 140 pounds.
“Dr. Ahmed and his nurse were phenomenal,” Terry said. “She would call me several times a week to check on me. She helped me get on medication that numbed my esophagus enough for me to eat.”
Along with taking care of Terry’s medical needs, the team supported him emotionally.
In the midst of Terry’s cancer battle, his mom was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. Tragically, she died within a month of her diagnosis.
“All of the nurses in the infusion suite and Dr. Ahmed and his nurse always made sure to ask me how she was doing and how I was doing. That was comforting,” Terry said. “It was so much more personal than I ever would have expected. They showed me that we had built a relationship and that they really cared about me as a person.”
“Everyone from pharmacy to infusion to Dr. Ahmed to the oncology office has been fantastic,” Terry said. “You’re not just another number coming through. I know all of the nurses by name, and they know me as soon as I walk in. The people are awesome – they truly care.”
That strong relationship is important, as Terry’s diagnosis requires ongoing care even after he finished chemotherapy and radiation this March. “This type of cancer can come back, so I’m on a post-treatment plan for two years to keep that from happening,” Terry said.
He has immunotherapy infusions every 26 days, sees Dr. Ahmed every two months, and has MRI and CT scans every three months. He sees a respiratory specialist and does rehabilitation therapy to continue to rebuild his lung capacity.
“Dr. Ahmed did X-rays and CTs, and they showed the cancer hadn’t spread and the cancer cells were no longer growing. My lung has come back to about 75-80 percent useful,” Terry said.
It has given Terry a chance at exactly what he wanted: to get back to normal.
“We were just joking that I’ve gained all my weight back!” he laughed. “I’m getting back to work. A friend of mine owns a restaurant, and I wait tables there almost as a hobby. I also love to travel, and I’m looking to get back to that too.”
Through it all, Terry has been impressed by the personalized care at Regional One Health.
“Everyone from pharmacy to infusion to Dr. Ahmed to the oncology office has been fantastic,” he said. “You’re not just another number coming through. I know all of the nurses by name, and they know me as soon as I walk in. The people are awesome – they truly care.”