Profile in Survival:
Sossa Athappilly, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Diagnosed with bladder cancer, 2000
Each year in this country about 9,000 people develop
bladder
cancer. It is more common in men than in women. The
most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the
urine, known as haematuria. Unfortunately, this symptom
is often dismissed because there are many reasons other
than bladder cancer that can cause blood in the urine,
such as a bladder infection or kidney stones. That is
why it so important that every person who experiences
haematuria contact their doctor. Here is Sossa Athappilly’s
story – Karen Giles
In December, 2000 my wife, Sossa, and I were enjoying a family
vacation in India when she experienced blood in her urine. She
had similar haematuria a month earlier but dismissed it, as
many women do, as a symptom of menopause. Luckily for Sossa,
our cousin, Dr. Augustine, was visiting the family and we mentioned
the symptom to him. He immediately made arrangements for Sossa
to be seen at one of the best hospitals in the area, Kerala,
Amala Cancer Center. She was examined by an urologist, an oncologist,
and gynecologist and all the necessary lab tests were performed.
The next day we were given the results – Grade B, Stage
2 bladder cancer. Sossa had malignant tissue at the juncture
of the bladder and the right ureter. We made the decision to
immediately return to the United States to seek opinions on
what would be the best course of treatment. We arrived back
in Kalamazoo on December 23. Sossa’s brother, Dr. Sebastian,
had made appointments for Sossa to receive opinions from Dr.
Bour in Kalamazoo and Dr. Montie at the University of Michigan.
On December 28, Dr. Bour conducted a cystoscopy which reconfirmed
the results found in the tests performed in India. There was
also an indication that the cancer cells had invaded the bladder
muscle. Dr. Bour recommended a radical cystectomy and placement
of an external pouch. Sossa and I decided to wait to make
a treatment decision until after their appointment with Dr.
Montie.
On January 11, Sossa and I made the trip from Kalamazoo to
Ann Arbor. Our cousin, Dr. Pathadan, had highly recommended
Dr. Montie and we were anxious to hear his opinion. Dr. Montie
met with Sossa and explained the options he felt were available
to her. Sossa, and I immediately felt great confidence in
Dr. Montie and knew that we decided to go with what he recommended
as her best option.
Together with Dr. Montie, Sossa and I decided to have the
neobladder procedure, as well as removal of her ovaries and
uterus. On January 26, 2001 the waiting was over and her surgery
was performed. After 2 weeks in the hospital, she was able
to come home.
Sossa did have some complications after the initial surgery
and Dr. Montie suggested a second procedure to rectify a right
ureter constriction. On November 29, 2001, Sossa was once
again in the capable hands of Dr. Montie. The surgery took
an unexpected turn when the right ileac artery ruptured, but
a cardiovascular surgeon was called in immediately and the
problem was corrected during the operation. This, we believe,
is possible only at centers such as U of M.
On January 25, 2002, a CT scan showed that everything was
normal and working as planned. Four years after her neobladder
surgery Sossa is still doing great. She never uses a catheter
and is pain-free. She averages seven hours of sleep per night
with no interruption. I told Dr. Montie how I wished to have
an uninterrupted sleep as Sossa has and Dr. Montie replied,
‘I can fix you too’. I told Dr. Montie, if it
comes to that, no other person than you will be my first choice.
Not discounting the value of treatment at U of M, I would
like to add an integral part of our experience during this
critical time of Sossa’s procedures. All of us in the
family and a host of many other people, friends and relatives,
prayed for Sossa’s recovery ardently. We truly believe
that her deep faith in Jesus Christ, led her through this
challenging time, with serenity and hope.
Sossa and all of us in our family are extremely grateful
to Dr. Montie for his extraordinary expertise in the neo bladder
procedure and his wonderful patient dealings, his nurse practitioner
Nancy Rodriguez-Galano, and the entire University of Michigan
Medical Center for the wonderful care and support they have
given to Sossa before, during, and after surgery.
--Kuriakose Athappilly
To learn more about the Multidisciplinary
Urologic Oncology Clinic at the University of Michigan
Comprehensive Cancer Center or to make a clinic appointment,
call the Cancer AnswerLine at 1-800-865-1125 or click
here.
Dr. Kuriakose Athappilly is a Professor at Western Michigan
University. If you would like to know more about Sossa’s
success story, please contact:
Kuriakose.athappilly@wmich.edu
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