Welcome to the official Drexel University College of Medicine RU-vid channel, managed by the Marketing & Communications Department, sharing updates on our work training future physicians and scientists.
My sister was diagnosed with this at 16. She died at 18. Months before she was diagnosed, she went to a clinic for abdominal pain thinking she had appendicitis. They didn't do anything, they said it was probably period cramps. She has a 4 pound tumor (obliterated her ovary) removed that was starving her out and she went to the emergency room because she almost died. Her jelly belly was the only other clue. She died in 2018. Dr. Sugarbaker worked on her in 2016 or 17, I can never keep the dates straight these days. Her recovery took a long time. A green bean almost killed her cause it lodged between two tumors on the remaining intestine after the cyto reductive surgery. She stopped eating. They put her on hospice and we were told at most 4 months. She lived off TPN through her port, ate nothing by mouth. She lived for 8 months. The tpn was killing her in the end but also helping her stay alive, so we didn't know what to do. After the seizures started we took the tpn away, thinking she had a day or two. She lived for another torturous week. This cancer was a monster. I'm thankful that everyone involved did everything they could to help her. Thank you Dr Sugarbaker, I think you gave us another year with her.
I had the great privilege and pleasure of working with Dr. Oaks at the Hahnemann Television Network. He pioneered medical television for education and training.
I was a student, an RRT, an instructor and a Supervisor at Hahnemann for over twenty years and Dr. Oakes was the kindest and most thoughtful physician I ever worked with. He was a fabulous teacher & clinician and would take time explain a differential diagnosis to medical students, residents or nursing students. A credit to his profession. RIP.
I had the privilege of working with Dr. Oaks and never failed to admire his intelligence,his compassion and his tireless support for his patients and for medicine.
