FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Glenda Drake is embracing a second chance at life after saying her goodbyes, and finding peace in what she believed was her destiny… losing a battle to cancer.
“I thought I would just go home, up there, but I didn’t want to leave my family,” she said.
Instead, she woke up bright and early on Thursday morning, seven months cancer-free, for a follow-up appointment with Dr. Omer Ilyas, who reviewed her recent test results at the Community Cancer Institute in Clovis.
“Everything looks good, you are cancer-free,” Dr. Ilyas said
Drake reflected on her challenging and miracle-like journey, dating back to October of 202,3 when she went to the emergency room for a sharp pain but walked out with a gut-wrenching diagnosis.
“The next morning, they told me I was full of cancer,” Drake said.
“She had a very specific type of cancer called a high-grade Neuroendocrine tumor and these are generally very aggressive,” Dr. Ilyas said.
Dr. Ilyas says her case was advanced and tackled it head-on with chemotherapy and radiation.
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What he did differently was add two treatments of immunotherapy, not knowing when or if it would make a difference.
“In her tumor we found something called an MSI High status and this allowed us to determine that she would benefit from immunotherapy,” Dr. Ilyas said.
The immunotherapy inhibits the ability of the tumor to outsmart the immune system, allowing Drake’s body to fight the cancer, but the results were not immediate.
Drake went into hospice care in October of 2024, surrounded by her husband, children, and loved ones. Counting every day as a blessing.
Eight months later, she felt better instead of worse and called Dr. Ilyas immediately.
A shocking but beautiful reunion.
“That was fun, that was really fun. I was excited to surprise him,” Drake said.
“In the bottom of my heart, I had a feeling that the immunotherapy just took some time to kick in and eventually, it did work along with all the prayers she was getting from family,” Dr. Ilyas said.
Dr. Ilyas hopes Drake’s story will inspire doctors and patients to never give up and take opportunities with new treatments.
Drake appreciates Dr. Ilyas for his passionate dedication.
She hopes people will find her story an inspiration to live life with a full and hopeful heart, every single day.
“I appreciate every day. I appreciate my friends more. My family more,” Drake said.
Dr. Ilyas says immunotherapy treatments do not work for every cancer patient, but does encourage fellow doctors to do thorough testing before ruling it out.
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