In 2009, Sam Kelley saw his doctor for what he thought were minor problems — a sore throat, some acid reflux. Instead, he learned that he had Stage 4 cancer of the esophagus. A cancer specialist advised him to get his affairs in order.
His opinion was that it was all over. He said if you were my father, I wouldn’t put you through the surgery or any chemo or radiation. We’re just going to give you palliative care, take care of you and make it easy, but there’s nothing that can be done. Nothing.
Sam Kelley
Sam walked out of the office and went off to play a round of golf.
Then he called his longtime friend Jim Ward for some advice on getting a second opinion. Jim runs a company in Maine called Patient Advocates. They manage employee health insurance plans for businesses that are self-insured. Meaning that instead of offering employees health benefits through a known insurance company, they craft their own plans.
We basically replace an insurance company. We pay all the bills for companies according to their medical plan. We also have nurse advocates who work with people who are undergoing treatment, as well as nurses and educators and health coaches who work with people managing chronic disease.
Jim Ward, President, Patient Advocates
After 40 years in the business, Jim has established good relationships with doctors, hospitals, and medical groups all over New England. He wholeheartedly agreed that his friend needed a second opinion.
Sam told me the doctor said to get his affairs in order and to do it quickly. He could have been right, but why would you just accept that? It’s your life? Right?
Jim Ward
Jim made some calls and within a few days, Sam was at Mass General Cancer Center in Boston.
Instead of seeing just one cancer specialist, his case was reviewed by a team of specialists that included a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, and a surgeon.
They offered him a clinical trial and above all, hope.
They weren’t saying we can fix this. They said we have a possible solution. So, there was no certainty to it at all, but at least it was another opinion.
Sam
He decided to go for it. Make no mistake, his treatment was hellish. But it worked.
First, I had chemo and about six or eight weeks later, they did surgery. I was in the hospital down there for, I think, 11 or 12 days. It was a big, big operation. They removed a lot of, the bad part of the esophagus, and a lot of my stomach. And then I did a lot more chemo after that.
Sam Kelley
It was a rough experience, and it took months for him to recover.
About a year after his surgery, Sam and his wife Jeananne threw a big party to celebrate his recovery and to say thank you to their friends and family.
We had a lot of support from a lot of people. Lots of cards and calls and visits. I wanted to thank everybody in person. So, we had a Victory Over Cancer party down at the Landing at Pine Point. We had a band and food and drinks and there were about 150 to 200 people.
Sam
In 2014, Sam reached the five-year mark and was declared cancer-free. The gratitude he feels is so immense that for the past 10 years (until COVID hit), he’s been a cancer buddy at the Dempsey Center in South Portland.
He has also become a huge advocate of getting second and even third opinions. Many people won’t, he says, because they’re afraid they’ll offend their doctor, and yet, the doctors he has asked have told him, of course, you should get another opinion — they would.
Sam credits Jim Ward with helping to save his life and since Sam’s experience, Jim says his company now works with employers to add what he considers an important provision to their health insurance plans.
A provision that we now have in almost every medical plan we administer is a mandatory second opinion for cancer. You have to go to a cancer treatment center and get a second opinion.
Jim Ward
Twelve years have passed since Sam received his devastating diagnosis. When I interviewed him for this blog post, I ended by asking how he was feeling.
Wonderful! I’m 76, I feel very good, I play a lot of golf. And the really wonderful thing is because they removed a lot of my stomach I can eat only a tiny amount of food. As a result, I lost about 50 to 60 pounds, which I needed to do.
Sam
And with that, Sam said goodbye and headed out for a game of golf.
Painting by John Curran, Sam’s friend, cousin, and next-door neighbor
What a story! If this doesn’t convince your readers to seek a second opinion, I don’t know what will!
Thanks for sharing Diane Sam and Jeananne you are an inspiration and an example of the courage to embrace what life has to offer
Glad some enjoyed the story. was so so surprised how many folks I shared this story with were afraid to offend their doctor by trying to get a second or third opinion. And EVERY Dr I asked about this scenario all said they would definitely get a second opinion themselves -ALL! If somebody does not know how to get a second opinion-call or contact me.
Excellent article. Sam’s victory is a great story. He had and has unequalled determination and perseverance. Equally important to recognize is Jeananne’s management of the medical process while Sam dealt with his medical challenge. She relentlessly asked questions each step of the way which allowed Sam to focus exclusively on his recovery. It is also important to note that Jim Ward made his staff at Patient Advocates available to help Sam and Jeananne whenever they needed it. A wonderful ‘gift’ from one friend of 60+years to another.
Great story, I am sure it will give hope and courage to so many people. Congratulations.