Kupulumuka Mavuto: Ulendo wa Zaka 14 Wolimba Mtima Polimbana ndi Matenda a Melanoma a Gawo Lachinayi
Mu 2010, ali ndi zaka 48, Jennifer Ficko adapezeka ndi khansa ya m'mawere yomwe inasintha moyo wake: khansa ya m'mawere ya gawo lachinayi. Chomwe chinayamba ngati chotupa chomwe sichinavulaze mutu wake pamapeto pake chinapangitsa kuti achite mantha kwambiri pa Thanksgiving pamene madokotala adatsimikizira kuti anali ndi mantha kwambiri. Dziko la Jennifer, komanso la banja lake, linasintha usiku wonse pamene ankakumana ndi vuto lalikulu la khansa yomwe inali itayamba kufalikira. Popeza anali ndi mwayi wochepa, Jennifer ndi okondedwa ake anafunafuna malangizo ndipo pamapeto pake analumikizana ndi akatswiri otsogola ku Smilow Cancer Hospital ku Yale.
Poyamba, Jennifer adachitidwa opaleshoni kuti achotse chotupacho ndi ma lymph nodes omwe adakhudzidwa. Adatenga nawo mbali mu mayeso azachipatala ofufuza mankhwala oletsa chitetezo chamthupi monga Yervoy (ipilimumab) kenako mankhwala ophatikizana ndi Nivolumab. Ngakhale kuti adakumana ndi vuto linalake, Jennifer adakumana ndi zotsatirapo zoyipa, kuphatikizapo kutsekeka kwa retina ndi kumva, koma adapitilizabe kulimbana.
Kusintha kwakukulu kunabwera mu 2017 pamene dokotala wake wa khansa, Dr. Harriet Kluger, adamulangiza kuti ayesedwe ku Yale Cancer Center, poyang'ana kwambiri pa chithandizo cha Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL). Mwa njira yatsopanoyi, ofufuza adatulutsa ndikukulitsa ma T-cell ake, omwe adabwezeretsedwanso m'thupi lake kuti alimbikitse chitetezo chake cha mthupi motsutsana ndi khansa. Chithandizo champhamvuchi chidayambitsa machitidwe amphamvu akuthupi koma pamapeto pake adayamba kuchepetsa zotupa zake.
Kuchira kwa Jennifer kunali kwa nthawi yayitali komanso kovuta. Mphamvu zake ndi kupirira kwake, pamodzi ndi chithandizo cha banja lake nthawi zonse, zinamuthandiza kuthana ndi nthawi yovutayi. Masiku ano, Jennifer alibe khansa ndipo wakhala akuchita izi kwa zaka zoposa zisanu ndi ziwiri. Ali ndi zaka 61, amaganizira za ulendo wake moyamikira komanso cholinga, akugogomezera kuti kukhala ndi chiyembekezo komanso kupirira ndikofunikira kwambiri polimbana ndi khansa. Ana ake, olimbikitsidwa ndi ulendo wa amayi awo, tsopano akutsatira ntchito zachipatala.
Nkhani ya Jennifer ikugogomezera kuthekera kosintha kwa chithandizo cha TIL, chomwe chavomerezedwa mwachangu ndi FDA, ndipo chimapereka chiyembekezo kwa odwala ambiri omwe akukumana ndi mavuto ofanana. Kulimba mtima kwake ndi kutsimikiza mtima kwake kukhala ndi moyo mokwanira zimatumikira ngati kuwala kwa chiyembekezo, kusonyeza kuti ndi chithandizo cha banja, kupita patsogolo mu Chithandizo cha Khansa, ndipo chiyembekezo chabwino, zodabwitsa zingachitike.