CHICAGO (WLS) — Doctors in Chicago performed a rare and difficult surgery to save the life of a woman with stage 4 cancer.
In case you didn't know, Mandy Wilke is three months removed from her double lung transplant. Patients and doctors at Northwestern Medical University are calling this a medical breakthrough.
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“It’s amazing,” Wilk said. “I still can't believe it.”
Wilk survived stage 4 colorectal cancer that spread to his liver, but when it spread to his lungs, conventional treatments were ineffective.
Mandy's determination knows no bounds. When other hospitals told her there was nothing more they could do, she really didn't take no for an answer.
Dr. Katherine Myers, Northwest Medicine Pulmonologist
“Every Christmas, every holiday, every time we get together, it's like, 'Is this going to be the last time?'” Wilk said.
An elementary school educator from Bloomington, Minnesota, she grew up in the suburbs and often traveled to Chicago for her husband's job.
After undergoing liver surgery in Chicago, she was referred to Northwestern Medical School's Dream Program. This is a program that gives cancer patients one last chance for a lung transplant.
“We were able to remove all the cancer cells from her lungs and transplant two brand new lungs into her body,” said Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine. “She has over three months left, and based on all the testing available to us, including DNA testing in her blood, there are no signs of cancer left in her body.”
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Wilk's case was the first double lung transplant under the DREAM program due to colorectal cancer. Her eight-year dream of ringing the bell to signal that she is cancer-free came true on June 10th.
“Mandy's determination knows no bounds,” says Northwestern Medicine pulmonologist Dr. Katherine Myers. “Even when other hospitals told her there was nothing more they could do, she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Wilke hopes other patients can benefit from the program and live cancer-free lives.
“When something doesn't feel right, you should think that's the end of it all,” Wilk said. “If I had done that, I wouldn't be sitting here today. So I think it's really important for people to explore other opportunities.”
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