the Light of hope

 

James Thillen

When James Thillen received a diagnosis of esophageal cancer along with a poor prognosis from his family physician, he decided to see the experts at Loyola. They restored his hope – and his health.

James first experienced symptoms of his esophageal cancer when he had difficulty swallowing, and then he began to cough up food when he ate. He went to his family doctor for some tests. “When he walked in (with the results), he had tears in his eyes,” James said of his doctor. “So I knew something was wrong.”

After doing some research on the internet about Loyola, James came to Loyola’s Gastrointestinal (GI) Oncology Center to meet with the medical team. Some additional tests were recommended. Then, the multidisciplinary GI oncology team reviewed the results and met with James to discuss their recommendations for treatment. “Everybody has a little input,” he said of the center’s medical experts working as a team to formulate a plan. “Everybody had ideas. It was very good.”

Loyola’s GI cancer experts needed to be very aggressive in treating James’ cancer. He would receive chemotherapy and radiation at the same time followed by surgery to remove his esophagus. Loyola's surgical oncologists are gastrointestinal surgeons who have been specifically trained in procedures to remove physical cancers.

Since the surgery, James eats smaller amounts of food and eats more often. He returns to Loyola every six months for check-ups, and after three years he is going strong.

His treatment was difficult to tolerate, he admits. “But it worked, so how can you argue with it? I think I made the right choices or I wouldn’t be here.”