Donor Impact On
A Rare Cancer Case
~ Michael Henry, Mercy patient
Gastrointestinal tumors can originate from the appendix, colon, rectum, ovaries, fallopian tubes, stomach, abdominal lining, and/or small bowel, and then metastasize throughout the entire abdomen. Often the tumors are so spread out that traditional surgery is ineffective.
Mercy Medical Center is one of the only places in the United States to offer a highly specialized treatment for these rare and deadly cancers. Patients have traveled from more than 600 cities and 12 countries to undergo a groundbreaking procedure involving cytoreductive surgery with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy—or HIPEC.
Dr. Armando Sardi, Medical Director of Mercy’s Institute for Cancer Care, conducted his first HIPEC procedure in 1994. Since then, Dr. Sardi, Dr. Vadim Gushchin, and the HIPEC team have expanded to work closely with gynecological oncologists at Mercy to help more than 1,000 patients with this innovative treatment.
The majority of these patients had advanced-stage cancers that did not respond to standard care; remarkably, more than half of the patients are still alive and disease-free. Some patients can survive 20 years or more after this treatment.
Philanthropy Fueling Survival Rates
In support of this unique therapy, Heat It To Beat It is a patient-led movement that began at Mercy in 2010. As an annual event, the Heat It To Beat It walk-a-thon raises funds for research, awareness, and education about the treatment of complex abdominal cancers. This provides hope for people with the most challenging cases.
One such patient was Michael Henry. In 2013, Michael had appendicitis and underwent an emergency appendectomy. For the next seven years, Michael didn’t realize his lingering gastrointestinal issues were due to cancer spreading in his abdomen.
In Spring of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, he was successfully diagnosed. “Appendix cancer is very rare and incurable. Nobody wanted to take a chance on me. You can’t treat what I had in the typical fashion. It requires innovation—like investing in high-temperature chemotherapy.”
Michael researched other health systems nationwide, including large cancer centers that might be able to treat him, but ultimately he decided on Mercy because of its stellar reputation around the HIPEC procedure.
“When COVID broke out, everything shut down. My wife would drive me to the hospital for consultations and she’d have to remain in the car on speaker phone because no visitors were allowed. Dr. Sardi really fought to make sure I could get my treatment. He knew I was going to die otherwise.”
Michael underwent a successful HIPEC procedure a few weeks later. Ultimately, an incredible 41 pounds of tumors were removed from his abdomen. Due to the complexity of his case, he spent 27 days recovering at Mercy’s hospital.
“I am grateful to Mercy for being early adopters of HIPEC,” he says, “because it’s unusual that a hospital would choose to focus on the rare and difficult cases. Now, HIPEC is a standard of care. Going forward, I believe it’s going to save far more colon and ovarian cancer patients. So it’s really important to get the word out.”
Meeting Challenges with Unwavering Compassion
Raising awareness is one of the reasons Michael also attends the annual Heat It To Beat It event. He spoke as a survivor in 2021. The following year, he and his team, “Michael’s Militia,” raised the most in charitable donations. It’s one of the ways he feels he can help fellow cancer patients and give back to the medical staff who saved his life.
“I am grateful to Dr. Sardi and Mercy for taking a chance on me. The Mercy mission means it’s more than just an excellent, hospitable place… they have a commitment to doing what’s right, not what’s easy. Whether it’s a difficult cancer, or staying open in a difficult time like the pandemic, the exceptional patient experience is why I support Mercy.”
“Thanks to the support of generous donors and survivors, Mercy has been at the forefront of research on HIPEC. We offer treatments that have improved the quality of life—and saved the lives—of many people,” says Dr. Sardi. “On behalf of the hundreds of patients who have benefitted from HIPEC at Mercy, I thank you.”
For more information about HIPEC, download this brochure.
“Thanks to the support of generous donors and survivors, Mercy has been at the forefront of research on HIPEC… On behalf of the hundreds of patients who have benefitted from HIPEC at Mercy, I thank you.”
~ Dr. Armando Sardi, Medical Director of
Mercy’s Institute for Cancer Care