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Julia Barchitta, renal cell carcinoma, cancer
trial participant
“I would tell people not to give up hope. There are a lot of things out there
and more coming all the time. With the new targeted medications, people will be
able to function fairly well with the disease. Work with your medical staff and
find out what is available to you.”
For the past year, a daily pill has kept Julia Barchitta free
from all traces of renal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of kidney cancer.
Julia is all too familiar with the challenges of
cancer treatment. In 2002, shortly after her own diagnosis, Julia’s husband was
stricken with, and succumbed to, lung cancer. Once Julia’s own cancer started
spreading, she enrolled in a clinical trial that utilized an available therapy.
Despite extreme fatigue, Julia continued her work as a dean at Wagner College
in Staten Island.
When Julia stopped responding to the treatment
after a year, she was thankful to have the opportunity to try a new clinical
trial with a targeted therapy. Months later, there was no sign of the cancer.
And while there are some side effects, Julia says she has a lot more energy to
do the job that she loves.
Julia feels others should be encouraged by the
advances in cancer research: “I would tell people not to give up hope. There
are a lot of things out there and more coming all the time. With the new
targeted medications, people will be able to function fairly well with the
disease. Work with your medical staff and find out what is available to you.”
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