During National Cancer Survivors Month, Regional One Health Cancer Care is proud to improve access to world-class oncology services right here in Memphis.
That makes a lifesaving difference for patients like Herrick Norcross, who was grateful to find expert treatment close to home after he was unexpectedly diagnosed with liver cancer.
After seeing Regional One Health surgical oncologist Dr. Evan Glazer, a national leader in the treatment of liver cancer, Herrick is back to work and family, including cherishing time with his first grandchild.
At age 60, Herrick Norcross was enjoying the good things in life.
He kept busy as a cotton, soybean and rice farmer, and had recently gone on a health kick, losing 18 pounds through regular walks and a better diet.
Best of all, he and wife Lucy were cherishing every moment with their first grandchild.
When Herrick was diagnosed with liver cancer, his first thought was of his family. “I’ve never been sick before, and it was scary,” he said. “My daughters were very supportive, and my wife was great about keeping my spirts up. She wouldn’t let me get down.”
The last thing he and Lucy wanted was to travel far from the people and home they love to undergo treatment. They turned to surgical oncologist Dr. Evan Glazer and his team at Regional One Health Cancer Care to access expert care just a short drive from their home in Arkansas.
When Herrick Norcross was diagnosed with liver cancer, he and wife Lucy were grateful to find expert care close to home. They turned to Regional One Health and Dr. Evan Glazer, a national leader in the surgical treatment of liver cancer, for Herrick’s treatment.
“We’re fortunate to have such a great system with the care we needed right in Memphis,” Lucy said. “We came across extremely caring, dedicated professionals. Everyone from the nurses at the hospital to the doctors to the staff – we had a positive experience at every turn.”
It all started when Herrick went to his primary care provider in January for his annual physical. He had noticed blood in his urine previously, and even though it had gone away, he mentioned it.
It was a good decision: A CT scan and MRI showed a spot on his liver. That led to a biopsy, and then a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Herrick was referred to Dr. Glazer, one of the nation’s leading experts in the surgical treatment of liver cancer. After reviewing Herrick’s diagnosis with a multidisciplinary team, Dr. Glazer recommended a minimally invasive robotic liver resection, a state-of-the-art procedure that isn’t available anywhere else in a 200-mile radius of Memphis.
Dr. Glazer said it’s an example of how Regional One Health combines the best expertise and technology to provide “the right treatment for the right patient at the right time.”
“What differentiates Regional One Health Cancer Care in the region and the nation is that we’ve assembled the right combination of expertise in medical and surgical oncology alongside the robotic surgery technology needed to perform minimally invasive procedures,” Dr. Glazer said. “That combination isn’t available anywhere else in the region.”
“Regional One Health has assembled the right combination of expertise in medical and surgical oncology alongside the robotic surgery technology needed to perform minimally invasive procedures,” Dr. Evan Glazer said. “That combination isn’t available anywhere else in the region.”
Regional One Health Cancer Care’s oncologists are subspecialists in the disease types they treat, meaning they have additional expertise and experience that allows them to provide the most complex procedures. Many, including Dr. Glazer, serve on the national panels that establish the guidelines for care, giving them access to the latest advances in treatment.
“It allows us to treat cancer with smaller incisions – and the smaller the incision, generally, the faster the patient can recover,” Dr. Glazer said. “It’s all part of personalizing care to identify which option best suits the patient and which option will have the best outcome for the patient.”
For Herrick, it was a blessing. “I had never had surgery in my life, so it was kind of a scary situation to think about,” he said. “Dr. Glazer went over the options and said his hope was to do a minimally invasive surgery, because recovery time would be better, and the time in the hospital would be less. That helped put our minds at ease.”
Treating patients as people first is key to Dr. Glazer’s approach. “Cancer is a scary word,” he said. “Patients are scared for themselves and scared for their families, and that comes from uncertainty. My job is to address the uncertainty so patients have a plan.”
In Herrick’s case, that plan worked out exactly as hoped.
“The people were just outstanding,” Herrick said of Dr. Glazer and his team. “I could tell they genuinely cared how I was doing. It all comes back to the people, and they were just the best.”
“I finished surgery late on a Monday, and by that night they had me out of bed. The next day, they had me walking up and down the hall,” Herrick said.
Within two days, he was discharged to continue recovery from the comfort of home. He’s been feeling stronger each day, and is looking forward to easing back to work and moving past his post-surgical dietary restrictions: “I can’t wait to go to a restaurant again and actually order something good rather than baked chicken on a bed of lettuce!” Herrick laughed.
Best of all, tissue samples taken by Dr. Glazer showed Herrick is cancer-free.
“From here, he’ll enter our surveillance program, which means we’ll do imaging and lab work at regular intervals to watch him closely,” Dr. Glazer said.
While it’s an experience no one wants to face, Herrick said Regional One Health Cancer Care made it as comfortable as possible. “Dr. Glazer and his whole team, and all of the nurses on the oncology floor – the people were just outstanding,” Herrick said. “I could tell they genuinely cared how I was doing. It all comes back to the people, and they were just the best.”
Now, he’s ready to turn his focus to some other important people…his wife, their three grown daughters, and, of course, their 2-year-old granddaughter.
“We usually go visit everybody, and we didn’t get to do that. We’d like to get back to some of that and see our family, and spend time with our granddaughter,” Herrick said. “She was another big reason I was able to stay positive. In my mind I was thinking, ‘I want to be around for her.”