On Tuesday, Oct. 8, KSAT anchor Stephania Jimenez hosted a town hall to discuss cancer rates among Latinos and how a new cancer facility in San Antonio will help patients.
“Revolutionizing Cancer Care for South Texans: A New Era of Treatment,” can be seen in the video player above.
The following panelists will joined the discussion:
- Dr. Mark Bonnen, chief medical officer at the Mays Cancer Center.
- Jeff Flowers, chief executive officer at the UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty & Research Hospital.
- Dr. Amelie Ramirez, associate director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the Mays Cancer Center.
More Latinos in our area are diagnosed with cervical, stomach and liver cancers compared to other parts of Texas, according to the South Texas Health Status Review.
Researchers also found that cancer is the leading cause of death for Latinos.
Why is that happening, and what’s being done to help vulnerable people in South Texas? That’s something KSAT explored in Tuesday’s town hall.
Cancer is something Willie Durazo, 72, understands firsthand. Years ago, he was diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer.
It began on Mother’s Day in 2021. He said he was experiencing stomach pain, which he attributed to his ongoing battle with diverticulitis. He thought he’d get better with antibiotic treatments. At the time, his doctor ran tests and told Durazo it wasn’t diverticulitis, but something much more serious.
“He told me, ‘you have cancer,’” Durazo said.
Shocked, Durazo didn’t understand what he had just heard. After all, he recalls, he didn’t remember the pain being “that bad.”
Eventually, Durazo was diagnosed with stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a type of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The cancer had spread to his abdomen, pelvis, lungs, renal glands and lymph nodes. His doctor also told him that without treatment, he had just weeks to live. So, Durazo didn’t waste time.
“I told the doctor ... ’Well, what can we do?’ He says, ‘We can get to work on it right away.’ I said, ‘Let’s rock and roll,’” said Durazo.
After months of tests, six rounds of chemotherapy at the Mays Cancer Center, and more than a dozen rounds of radiation treatments, Durazo got a clean bill of health in 2022. He doesn’t think it would have been possible without his wife by his side.
“I have one great partner and she kept me laughing the entire time,” said Durazo.
Looking back, Joy Durazo told KSAT12 that her husband’s doctors, nurses, caregivers, family members and neighbors became their support system during that difficult time. Willie Durazo calls them his “angels.”
“We had a lot of costs that we had to pay during that period of time. And they came through...that’s what I still can’t get over,” explained Willie Durazo.
Now, Willie Durazo looks forward to enjoying himself with his kids, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He also wants people to know that cancer isn’t a death sentence, and that if you don’t feel well, you shouldn’t wait long to see a doctor.
“It may not be cancer. It may be something else, but at least you’re going to know what it is,” he said.
Durazo was treated at the Mays Cancer Center, which is part of the UT Health San Antonio system.
Soon, the system will open a $430 million facility in San Antonio, called the UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty & Research Hospital.
The new facility aims to help cancer patients in South Texas, where, according to researchers, Latinos experience higher cancer rates for cervical, stomach and liver cancers, compared to the rest of the state.
At the moment, researchers need participants to enroll in a study that looks into the “social, cultural, behavioral, mental, biological and medical influences on the post-cancer life of the Hispanic/Latino community.
We want to understand the social, cultural, behavioral, mental, biological, and medical influences on the post-cancer life of the Hispanic/Latino community. The goal is to help future survivors. If you’d like to join the study and find out if you’re eligible, click here.
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