I did the FoundationOne test where they check 600 different genes. At the end of it, they tell you what known FDA-approved chemotherapies will work with your specific tumors. They said there were no known FDA drugs that will work with my cancer. That pretty much convinced me. At that point, my tumor was growing at 20 percent a month. This was July 2013. I wasn’t expected to live past December.
I saw a news story about PD-1 therapy, and then I went on to Google and tracked down more information. There was one story about a guy with lung cancer who somehow got on a melanoma trial, and the PD-1 knocked out his lung cancer. That got me all excited. I then began researching every day about PD-1 and where I could get it, and how I could get it, but nobody had any lung trials. I tried to bide my time until somebody opened a lung trial that I could get into.
One of my doctors recommended the The Angeles Clinic. This clinic is really small. They opened a new building, quaint little Tuscany-looking building, like it came out of Italy. Really, really nice staff. When you walk in there, you’re like family. Everybody knows you by name and they’re all very friendly to you. My doctor hugs me every time she sees me. I’ve never had a doctor hug me, never ever. My doctor is Dr. Ani Balmanoukian—what a sweetheart.
The Angeles Clinic specializes in clinical trials. Most of the other people I see in the clinic are melanoma patients, and they’ve been having some amazing results. I’ve actually seen tumors on people’s faces and ears disappear in front of my own eyes.