Surviving Cancer Free for Over 23 Years, Envita Patient Gets Featured on National Cancer Survivors Day

Diagnosed with an aggressive stage 4 colon cancer at the age of 39, Sandy Yozipovic, was determined to overcome this disease, which was threatening to shatter her world. “I really believe that there is life after cancer. You can't listen to the death sentence,” said Sandy, speaking on the occasion of National Cancer Survivors Day.

“I had a very aggressive fast-growing cancer that the tumor was doubling in size every 24 to 48 hours, so time was of the essence,” said Sandy, who was a young mother when the cancer was diagnosed. The cancer was so aggressive that Sandy had to be taken into emergency surgery on September 11, 2001, a day when most surgeries were cancelled at the hospital. Despite the surgery, she had a high chance of experiencing a cancer recurrence. “I was given a 99% chance that it would be back within the first year,” added Sandy.

Sandy and her husband were proactive in attempting to seek the best care for her, which is why they sought second opinion from some of the most renowned cancer treatment facilities in the United States, but that did not help them. “Conventional oncology standards use a cookbook approach,” said Dr. John Oertle, lead physician at Envita Medical Centers. He explained how the team of specially trained physicians at Envita custom-develop treatment protocols for each individual patient, going beyond just the standard options, such as chemotherapy, radiation, and invasive surgeries.

“We run a lot of testing like biomarkers, genetics, RNA, DNA, and immunotherapy assays,” said Dr. Oertle. These detailed tests enable the team at Envita to have a better understanding of the unique set of root causative factors responsible for triggering the growth and spread of cancer in each individual patient. Equipped with such in-depth insights into each patient's individual disease and how their immune system is responding to it, team Envita aims to precision target the cancerous cells without impacting the surrounding healthy tissues and organs.

“We run a lot of testing like biomarkers, genetics, RNA, DNA, and immunotherapy assays,” said Dr. Oertle. These detailed tests enable the team at Envita to have a better understanding of the unique set of root causative factors responsible for triggering the growth and spread of cancer in each individual patient. Equipped with such in-depth insights into each patient's individual disease and how their immune system is responding to it, team Envita aims to precision target the cancerous cells without impacting the surrounding healthy tissues and organs.

To know more about Sandy and her remarkable journey to recovery as featured on National Cancer Survivors Day, watch here: https://lptv.org/national-cancer-survivors-day-brings-awareness-to-cancer-survivors-and-cancer-treatment/.