Dennis Seifert
In 2015, Jim Asbell was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer that had spread to his lungs and liver. Mr. Asbell chose Bruce W. Porterfield, MD, PhD at Arizona Oncology as his medical oncologist. While Mr. Asbell understood that treatment may not be successful he said “Dr. Porterfield understood my situation and took into consideration my overall wellbeing. He presented a treatment plan that I was comfortable with."
The Arizona Oncology site where he receives treatment is only six miles from Mr. Asbell’s home in Green Valley, Arizona. “If I were to receive treatment in Tucson, it would have taken half a day to drive there and back.” Mr. Asbell said “receiving treatment nearby helped in my decision to choose Arizona Oncology.”
Jim has come to know the staff at Arizona Oncology well, saying that his nurses are “kind, respectful, caring and have a great sense of humor.” He added, “Everyone at the office is fantastic, even the front desk is tremendous.”
While chemotherapy was successful initially, the cancer has since mutated and began to grow again. There is no current cure for Mr. Asbell’s cancer, but his, and his physician’s, goal is for him to live well for as long as possible. With Dr. Porterfield’s assistance, Jim is now undergoing clinical trials.
Mr. Asbell is a published author, blogger and inspirational speaker, doing talks on living with cancer at Arizona Oncology and a local university.
[post_title] => Jim Asbell [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => jim-asbell [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-04-11 01:01:43 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-04-11 01:01:43 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://usoncology.com/patient-stories/jim-asbell/ [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => msh_patient_story [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )In 2008, Dennis Seifert was diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer that had spread to his lungs. Feeling little hope, and anger at the fact that cancer had chosen him, Mr. Seifert decided to pursue treatment at Minnesota Oncology where he met Dr. Noel Laudi. “Dr. Laudi took me under his wing and was willing to work with me. He gave me hope,” Mr. Seifert says.
Treatment for Mr. Seifert’s cancer was aggressive. He underwent 14 different surgeries, was part of a clinical trial, and was treated with chemotherapy for three and a half years. In 2011 he was declared cancer free.
He now sees Dr. Laudi for follow-up scans to make sure that the cancer has not returned and volunteers regularly at Minnesota Oncology. “My experience with Minnesota Oncology has been unbelievable. I know there’s no one better out there.”
