Smooth Sailing: A Melanoma Success Story
Metastatic melanoma survivor expresses gratitude to Dr. Jose Lutzky with a gift to support his clinical science research.
Dick and Sue Wing were sailing from their home in Charleston, South Carolina, to Miami when Dick noticed a BB-sized bump on his head. By the time they got to Miami two weeks later, it had grown to the size of a pea. Alarmed, the couple immediately sought a dermatologist. Testing revealed he had stage 4 metastatic melanoma.
The Wings chose to be treated in South Florida, home to renowned melanoma expert Jose Lutzky, M.D., director of Cutaneous Oncology Services and Cutaneous and Ocular Oncology Site Disease Group lead at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth—the University of Miami Health System.
Cancer Clinical Trial Success
While the diagnosis was shocking, especially after learning that Wing had tumors on his brain, liver, lungs and right shoulder, the couple said it was good fortune they were in Miami. Dr. Lutzky enrolled Wing in a clinical trial testing an immunotherapy drug that helps the body’s immune system fight cancer.
“It made a difference right away,” said Wing. “About four days after my first infusion, the discomfort in my shoulder went away and never came back.”
After completing the two-year clinical trial protocol in 2016, Wing was declared cancer-free. His surveillance scans and bloodwork have continue to be clear. This past January, nine years later, Dr. Lutzky pronounced Wing cured.
“If not for the expertise of Dr. Lutzky, my ashes would have been spread in 2016,” said Wing, who intends to stay in touch with his trusted doctor. “It was because of his love for research that I had the opportunity to go through this journey as a clinical trial participant. For that, I am forever grateful.”
Support for Cancer Research
To express their appreciation, the Wings continue to donate to Sylvester’s melanoma research fund to support the work of Dr. Lutzky and colleagues who are developing better treatments for melanoma and other skin cancers.
“Clinical research is what moves science forward,” said Dr. Lutzky, who is also the director of the Clinical Trials Unit at Sylvester. “Philanthropy, like that of the Wings, provides seed money for novel ideas that generate preliminary data that will, in turn, support applications for larger grants with the potential to develop life-changing therapies.”
He added, “I want Dick and Sue to know how meaningful these kinds of contributions are to advancing melanoma treatment and benefiting other patients in the future.”
Helping Other Cancer Patients
In addition to supporting research, the Wings are equally committed to helping other cancer patients navigate the cancer journey.
“One critical thing we learned while going through all this is the importance of being at a top hospital with the best doctors,” said Sue Wing. “To receive the best outcome, you need to go where they are doing the latest and greatest research on whatever type of cancer you have, no matter where that may be. For Dick, that was Dr. Lutzky and Sylvester, the pre-eminent cancer center for melanoma.”
As the only university-based, National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in South Florida, Sylvester offers patients exclusive access to innovative clinical trials and therapies. Sylvester conducts more clinical research than any other institution and is home to the only academic Phase 1 clinical trials program in the region.
Tags: Dr. Jose Lutzky, philanthropy, Sylverster Comprehensive Cancer Center