Diagnosed with Six Months to Live, But Now Cancer-Free

Determination, treatment, and sheer willpower made the difference for Juan Carlos Dominguez.

Juan Carlos Dominguez’s doctors had tried everything. When they found a stage 3 cancer tumor in his abdomen, they surgically removed his entire stomach. When the cancer reappeared near his colon, they cut a portion of that out as well.

Yet after two major surgeries and multiple rounds of chemotherapy, the cancer kept coming back, forcing doctors to give Dominguez the prognosis all patients dread: he had six months to live.

“I was running out of hope,” says Dominguez, 66, a Cuban-born computer technician for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. “But I never believed that the finish line was in front of me. I was determined to do everything I could do to stay away from that.”

Now, five years after he received that fatal prognosis, Dominguez is cancer-free.

He’s back to his regular schedule at work, doing his regular chores around the house, and even spent a week walking through Sevilla, Spain, last year during a vacation with his wife. That remarkable turnaround was possible because of a team of experts at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System, who tried every tool available until they found the one that worked.

Dominguez credits that team for saving his life and hopes that patients starting their cancer journeys see him as an example of what’s possible when the advancements of science meet an unbending will to survive.

“There’s nothing more valuable than the willpower to overcome the biggest obstacle you can face,” he says. “Have the courage to fight against that adversity and have confidence, or faith, or whatever the case may be, that there is always a chance.”

Early symptoms felt like heartburn.

Dominguez left his native Cuba in 1995 after working as a teacher of engineering and telecommunications. After arriving in the U.S., he took Microsoft certification courses and was hired by the school district to manage the computer systems in several schools.

In 2016, Dominguez started feeling a constant pain in his stomach. At first, he dismissed it as heartburn. When colleagues would compliment him on his weight loss, he’d thank them but quietly wonder how he was losing so much.

Dominguez’s girlfriend convinced him to get it checked, and he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor. A friend who works at the University of Miami suggested he meet Peter Hosein, M.D., a professor of clinical medicine at the Miller School of Medicine and the co-leader of the gastrointestinal cancers site disease group at Sylvester.

The diagnosis, surgery, and prognosis

Dr. Hosein confirmed the diagnosis, immediately started Dominguez on chemotherapy, and brought in Alan Livingstone, M.D., a Sylvester surgeon, to perform the surgery. Dr. Livingstone conducted a total gastrectomy procedure to remove Dominguez’s entire stomach on Sept. 25, 2017.

The surgery was successful, and Dominguez felt great. He married his girlfriend, Ileana Rodriguez, and dove back into work. But in 2019, the pain returned. Dominguez went back to see Dr. Hosein, who confirmed that a new tumor had emerged, this time in the abdominal cavity where his stomach used to be. Even worse, the tumor was pushing up against his colon.

Dr. Livingstone was called in again to remove the new tumor and a piece of the colon that was in direct contact with it. However, given the position of the tumor, Dr. Livingstone couldn’t remove the entire tumor. A crestfallen Dr. Hosein explained that another surgery wasn’t an option. Dr. Hosein tried to enroll Dominguez in a research trial, but he didn’t meet the qualifications.

“He sat down in front of me and said, ‘I don’t have much more I can do. The prognosis is six months,’” Dominguez says.

Then, Dr. Hosein had an idea. He ordered Dominguez to start another round of chemotherapy, but he changed the drugs used. Dominguez started the treatments, sometimes even going to work wearing a device that pumped his chemotherapy medications into a port in his chest.

“I would go to school with that thing attached to me,” he says. “Everyone knew what was happening.”

Before long, he started feeling better.

He regained his energy and appetite, and the stomach pains went away. After months of cautious optimism, Dr. Hosein was able to deliver the news that Dominguez was officially cancer-free. For that, Dominguez calls Dr. Hosein a “miracle worker.” His wife also pointed to Terri Pollack, D.N.P., APRN, at Sylvester, who helped them navigate the countless appointments and treatments.

And now, when Dominguez visits Sylvester for follow-up appointments, he’s always given the last appointment on Dr. Hosein’s schedule. “Because he wants to finish with a happy case to end the day,” Dominguez says with a laugh.

Dominguez knows that a recurrence is possible. But after seeing what the Sylvester team is capable of and seeing how his family and friends supported him through the darkest days, he knows exactly what he’ll do if the cancer returns: “If it comes, I’ll do the same thing I did the first two times: I’m going to fight.”

Alan Gomez is a contributor for Sylvester.

Tags: cancer recovery, cancer recurrance, Dr. Alan Livingstone, Dr. Peter Hosein, recurrent cancer, stomach cancer, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center