Marcos, a union member with access to MSK Direct, talks about his experience at MSK and his hope for others to learn how MSK Direct can help connect you to the right cancer specialists and support you every step of the way.
Show transcript
Marcos Ramirez:
My name is Marcos Ramirez. I work with the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit. It means a lot to me to be in a union, especially noticing the work that we put into the city.
Marcos Ramirez:
Hey Jill. Hey. How are you? How's it going?
Marcos Ramirez:
What I love about my job is that it's all hands on. We do get to meet the people in person and then they see that, you know, we're here to help. My whole journey with cancer started back in 2020. I just started developing really, really bad stomach pains and they weren't getting any kind of relief. I GI doctor recommended I get a CT scan and when the scan came back and that's when I got the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I immediately sought care at MSK because it is the frontier hospital to go to for cancer care, not only in New York, but uh, throughout the whole world it seems.
Ariela Noy, MD:
When Marcos first came to MSK, he had a very aggressive lymphoma that happened because he had a kidney transplant and that put him at risk for complications.
Marcos Ramirez:
It just made me comfortable knowing that I was in the best hands available.
Sergio A. Giralt, MD:
Where you get treated for cancer matters. Memorial Sloan Kettering is special because we are one of the first comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Experience makes a difference. Through MSK Direct, we can help patients and their family access the resources that will make their cancer journey easier.
Ariela Noy, MD:
At the end of his treatment, Marcos still had a teeny tiny spot and unfortunately that showed that he still had lymphoma. Because Marcos was at MSK, he was able to get on an MSK led clinical trial that gave him the best chance to be cured for his cancer.
Sergio Giralt, MD:
Through MSK Direct, the care advisors will have access to all the portfolio of the clinical trials we have.
Ariela Noy, MD:
Marcos' lymphoma disappeared with his first set of scans and it has never come back.
Marcos Ramirez:
That was glorious. This journey for cancer is never going to be easy, but when you have a team like MSK behind you, it definitely makes the ride a lot easier.
Ariela Noy, MD:
Everybody at this institution, it's just completely dedicated to each individual patient and seeing them through with everything that they need to get through their treatment.
Marcos Ramirez:
So I would love my brothers and sisters from the union to know that MSK Direct can save their life like it did mine.