Sana'a's Story

Wife and mother expedites Hodgkin’s lymphoma treatment from Windsor to Detroit

In May of 2024, Sana’a, a wife and mother living in Ontario, Canada went about her life’s daily activities as usual. She noticed that she had been feeling tired, had shortness of breath, was coughing and had swelling in her neck, so she visited her family doctor. Her family doctor ordered her an x-ray. The x-ray noted a nodule on her left lung, and she would need to get a CT scan to find out more.

“It was going to take way too long to get a CT scan in Canada, so I knew I needed to go somewhere else,” said Sana’a.

Getting care sooner

To get a CT scan sooner, Sana’a decided to get her diagnostic scans done at a private imaging center and then brought the scans back to her family doctor. Based on the findings in her CT scan, she next needed a biopsy, but needed to wait another few weeks to have it done and then wait a few more weeks to go over the results. She knew there had to be a faster way.

“We have a family friend that works at Henry Ford, and she suggested coming to Detroit to expedite my mom’s care just a bit,” said Sana’a’s daughter, Catherine.

Care that can’t wait

Sana’a first met with cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Ikenna Okereke, to review her bloodwork and scans. “Dr. Okereke was very honest with me and showed me what we were looking at,” said Sana’a. After reviewing Sana’a’s scans and biopsy results, Dr. Okereke referred her to hematologist Dr. Phillip Kuriakose who made the official diagnosis of potential advanced stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

With the help of the International Patient Services team, Sana’a’s care was transitioned from Canada to Henry Ford and she began chemoimmunotherapy treatment on July 12th, 2024.

“I had six months of treatment and had to go in for treatment every 2 weeks. I started my first month of treatment in Detroit and then was able to be transferred back to Windsor to finish my treatment,” said Sana’a, “the team of nurses I had around me made a huge difference in my treatment. They were with me through it all.”

“Within the past six or seven years, there have been a lot of advancements in treating Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Chemotherapy used to be the standard for more than 30 years, but now we’re able to treat it with a combination of that along with targeted and/or immunotherapy. So, we target cancer cells while also supporting the patient’s own cancer fighting immune system. It’s really been able to help a lot more patients have better outcomes, just like Sana’a,” explained Dr. Kuriakose.

Ease during a difficult time

Sana’a finished chemotherapy treatment on December 13th, 2024, and is now in remission from Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“Stories like this are why our team does what we do. Getting a diagnosis like this is not easy news to hear and helping coordinate Sana’a’s care here in Detroit was truly the least I could do,” said International Patient Services registered nurse, Jamie Vollenweider.

Dr. Kuriakose remarked, “Stories like Sana’a’s are very rewarding for us as physicians for many reasons. Any time a patient is diagnosed, responds well to treatment, and can get back to their daily activities is always what you hope for. We also are using scientific advancements in real time as they’re being researched and it’s great to see how well it works. Add to it that Sana’a had a more specific need, as she does not live in the US. It seemed that Henry Ford as an institution really did what they do best here in coordinating her care for a great outcome.”

Sana’a is now back to living an active life full of energy with her family by her side. She reflects, “I’m so thankful that I was able to come to Detroit for treatment. The team made everything so easy to transition my care over here. I am more than thankful to have the treatment we did at Henry Ford. They made everything so easy during a difficult time and I feel so much better now.”