Posted by Dick - the Surgeon on October 31, 1999 at 18:52:34:
In Reply to: Thanks for the prayers posted by Anne Reiling Gaffney on October 28, 1999 at 10:52:04:
Dear Anne,
So sorry to hear all that your daughter is going through with the recurrent
breast cancer. I followed most of the dialogue you wrote about her care. Some of
the information did not make sense to me and I for the most part am only doing
breast cancer surgery. At the present time, I am the director of the cancer services
at Kettering Medical Center which was recently recognized by USNews as the 30th best
in the country...up there with the big guys...MDAnderson, Moffit, etc.
Your daughter is in very good hands at MDAnderson. As a matter of fact we send
most of our difficult cases to MDA, this is stimulated by the fact that most of our
medical oncologists trained there, but we also get good care and service.
As for Moffit, I am quite familiar with the program on the surgical side but do not
know of any medical oncologists there. Certainly there must be someone that can continue
the good work of MDA. Moffet was the leading hospital in the intiation of sentinel lymph
node biopsy and Dr. Doug Raintgen is an outstanding surgeon there - he also wrote a
chapter in my first published textbook of surgery just released.
As for new protocols, etc., I think you will find that MDA with its own clinical
trials and a participant in the major protocol groups in this country would be your
best source of information.
Unfortunately, there are many out there and I am sure your are aware of this who will
prey on patients with cancer who are desparate. This ultimately leads to heartbreak and
much money.
If I can be of personal help to you, please give me a call. (off: 937-296-7286, or home
937-294-8333). In the meantime Liz and I will keep your daughter in our prayers and
thoughts. This being the nite before All Saint's Day is a good time to invoke the good
deeds of all the saints that have preceded us, and especially those in the Reilng family.
Thanks for your thoughts about the webpage and your remembrance of good times in Dayton.
Love, Dick