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.<\/p>\n
“I thought I would just go home, up there, but I didn’t want to leave my family,” she said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“Everything looks good, you are cancer-free,” Dr. Ilyas said<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“The next morning, they told me I was full of cancer,” Drake said.<\/p>\n
“She had a very specific type of cancer called a high-grade Neuroendocrine tumor and these are generally very aggressive,” Dr. Ilyas said.<\/p>\n
Dr. Ilyas says her case was advanced and tackled it head-on with chemotherapy and radiation.<\/p>\n
EXCLUSIVE: Clovis woman responds well to revolutionary cancer therapy<\/a><\/p>\n What he did differently was add two treatments of immunotherapy, not knowing when or if it would make a difference.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Drake went into hospice care in October of 2024, surrounded by her husband, children, and loved ones. Counting every day as a blessing.<\/p>\n Eight months later, she felt better instead of worse and called Dr. Ilyas immediately.<\/p>\n A shocking but beautiful reunion.<\/p>\n “That was fun, that was really fun. I was excited to surprise him,” Drake said.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n Dr. Ilyas hopes Drake’s story will inspire doctors and patients to never give up and take opportunities with new treatments.<\/p>\n Drake appreciates Dr. Ilyas for his passionate dedication.<\/p>\n She hopes people will find her story an inspiration to live life with a full and hopeful heart, every single day.<\/p>\n “I appreciate every day. I appreciate my friends more. My family more,” Drake said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Elisa Navarro on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2025 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n