Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: David Seitze

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07/09/23

UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center's mission is to conquer cancer through research, prevention and treatment—while offering world-class care close to home for patients in South Texas.

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For more information about UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center visit www.UTHealthsaMDAnderson.org. To make an appointment, call 210-450-1000. #endcancer

David Seitze: I had some pains in my abdomen, and like a typical man, I tried to ignore them. My wife told me I needed to come and get an x-ray. I put that off because my daughter was getting ready to graduate from college. She graduated on May 19th. That night my wife had to rush me to the emergency room. They did x-rays. They found out I had a mass in my abdomen. Five days later after they did a biopsy, they told me that I had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I had a very good friend, and they said, “David you need to come and check out the UT Health San Antonio/MD Anderson. All I knew about MD Anderson was that everybody told me that that’s the only place to go. You would receive the best care, so when I found out that there was an association with the UT Health San Antonio and MD Anderson, I felt like why would I need to go anywhere else when I can get the best care anywhere here in San Antonio.

Elizabeth Bowhay, MD: I believe very strongly that patients that are treated close to home and close to their support network will have better outcomes. A patient is not just their cancer cell. They are a person as a whole and when they feel that they are supported and loved in a comfortable environment patients are able to get through their treatment with less toxicities and with better patient satisfaction.

David: Talking with people that travel, they are away from their support. They are away from their family and friends. Being able to stay here in San Antonio, being able to sleep in my own bed, being able to be with my family during the treatment. I can’t say enough wonderful things about the location of MD Anderson now that it is affiliated with UT Health San Antonio. It has made a world of difference for me.

Elizabeth Bowhay, MD: The UT Health San Antonio and MD Anderson Cancer Center partnership has created the opportunity for our patients to continue to get the South Texas warm, personalized care that we all pride ourselves in providing as well as having access to expanded clinical trials.
Greg Aune, MD: There is a tremendous need to be able to have patients participate in our research with us because there are so many new investigational agents that are coming out. It’s really a huge opportunity to not only provide patients with cutting-edge care but then additionally move our ability to treat and cure certain cancers forward. It is a really unique point and time in the history of cancer care.

David: I love the fact that I have a multidisciplinary team and I know they get together and they look at me individually. It was determined the first course of action would be chemotherapy. Once they got together, they thought I might need radiation after that and then also getting together with the specialists in the clinical trial thought I would be a great fit to try the clinical trial drug and see how that worked out.

David: I would also like to add there has been somebody that has helped me in my clinical trial. Her name is Patty Monea. She has been my guardian angel. Any time I have a question, if I have any concerns, I can go to her as well as Patty and the staff. They just give me such optimism that when I come here and I leave I always feel better about myself and my chances, and I think that is very important.

Ashley Bloechle, MSN, RN: Multidisciplinary teams are very, very important. I know I personally rely heavily on our nutritionist. Our case managers are in our office clinic every single day. I think everybody has a specialty. Mine is nursing. So, I rely on social workers to do social work — pharmacy to answer our questions on medications. It’s definitely very important for everybody to work as a team to completely take care of a patient.

David: I feel everybody that I encounter genuinely has my well-being first and foremost and one of the most important things is everyone I encounter, especially my physicians, they give me hope, and I don’t think you can ask for anything more than hope.