Patient in remission from advanced cancer is thankful for life

Asked how he’s doing, Randy Neatherlin answers cheerfully, "Incredible!"
 
He’s not being flip. The Belfair businessman and community leader is sincerely happy to be alive five months (and counting) after statistics predicted he would be dead from stage-four esophageal cancer.
 
When he was diagnosed last April, he was given three to four months. It’s been more than eight, and the cancer that had spread from his esophagus to his liver is currently in complete remission.
 

Audio Click here to listen to Randy Neatherlin, along with his oncologist, Dr. Nick Chen, talk about innovative ways to treat cancer.

Now he wants to share his story to give hope and help to others who might be facing advanced-stage cancers.
 
Randy can thank his wife Pam, a radiology technologist at Olympic Radiology in Kitsap County, for helping with his diagnosis. He had been having difficulties swallowing, but cancer wasn’t suspected. Pam requested an endoscope, which revealed a tumor that was in the process of closing off his throat.
 
Many patients with esophageal cancer end up unable to eat and on feeding tubes, getting weaker and weaker until they die of slow starvation.
 
After his first oncologist proposed what Randy calls a "radiation, chemotherapy and hail Mary" approach, the Neatherlins sought a second opinion and ended up at Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center in Renton. They were immediately impressed by how well the Center’s doctors worked together to combine oncology with naturopathic support.
 
"I know that the care I’m getting here is different," he says. "They never promised me anything, but there was some hope all of a sudden."
 
He began weekly chemotherapy treatments as well as naturopathic supplements, including vitamin D, to boost his immunity and help his body withstand the stress of chemo.
 
"We are helping Randy get his life back," explains Center oncologist Dr. Nick Chen. "Because Randy’s cancer was spreading to distant organs, radiation wouldn’t have helped him. His esophagus was nearly blocked. Without innovative chemotherapy and an integrative approach, his disease would have continued to spread, becoming even more difficult to treat."
 
After his first rounds of chemo were completed, Randy went to Olympic Radiology for another scan, an Eovist Liver MRI, which is more sensitive than a standard MRI. The test detected a few remaining lesions, and his chemo was continued.
 
His treatment hasn’t been easy – there have been definite low points – but Randy never stopped working as a real estate agent. He also kept up with his civic duties as a member of both the Allyn Port Commission and the Mason County Planning Commission.
 
In fact, the day he started chemo, he went to a Planning Commission meeting only to be asked by another member why he was there. "Because this is what I do," he replied.
 
A one-time candidate for state legislature, Randy is passionate about community service because he likes to "fix things." But that’s not all he has to live for. On May 4, 2010, he and Pam welcomed his fourth child, Anna.
 
On his hardest day during chemo, he says he imagined his daughter saying, "I don’t remember what my dad sounds like".
 
"Many people depend on Randy," Dr. Chen says. "His response to treatment was dramatic. Now our goal is to keep him in remission."
 
Randy is currently receiving bi-monthly treatments, including immunotherapy, to keep his cancer from returning. Recent scans and a biopsy show no sign of the disease, which, according to Dr. Chen, makes his remission even more certain.
 
His progress has surprised his local doctors. Silverdale Gastroenterologist, Dr. Naren Siddaiah, told Chen that he has never seen such a remarkable response.
 
Chen hopes that Randy’s success will lead to a clinical trial and eventually a new protocol, or course of treatment, for advanced esophageal cancer. The disease is one of the few cancers that’s increasing in prevalence nationally, particularly among older white men.
 
Randy could live in fear of a recurrence or be thankful for what he’s been given. He chooses the latter. "I just keep trying and enjoying what’s put in front of me," he says. "I’ve had a pretty fantastic life, and I’m still here."