Not every conversation with a friend is lifesaving, but for David Kimmel, 71, of Mechanicsburg, a chat with a dear friend at church helped him get answers when his health took a concerning turn.
For years, David struggled with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and while he was managing his condition using prescribed medication, some other symptoms popped up that he couldn’t ignore. A persistent cough that he attributed to environmental and seasonal factors was going on in the background, but the most alarming symptom was difficulty swallowing favorite foods like bread and steak.
David receives treatment.
With encouragement from his wife and children, David spoke to a friend from church who was a practicing gastroenterologist. Given his symptoms, David’s friend recommended he get an upper endoscopy. After his endoscopy, David learned he had an inflamed section of his esophagus that needed to be biopsied. He soon found out that it was esophageal cancer.
“Of course I was shocked to be diagnosed, but what do you do?” said David. “Looking back, I couldn’t have gotten through it without the support of my family, friends, church family, and the guidance of the dietitians, nurses and doctors at UPMC.”
David’s care team included John Brady, D.O., thoracic surgeon, UPMC Esophageal and Lung Surgery Institute; Christopher Haskins, M.D., radiation oncologist, and Sri Lakshmi Yeruva, M.D., oncologist, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center; and dietitian Sadia Shaukat. His treatment included rounds of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy; and somewhere in the middle of all of that, a robotic esophagectomy to remove the cancerous lesion from his esophagus. David’s treatment lasted more than a year and at one point he had a feeding tube inserted to help him take medications and get essential nutrition since he was having difficulty swallowing.
David rings the bell.
Through it all, David remained optimistic. He’s now back to doing what he loves, spending time with his wife on hikes and at country and bluegrass music concerts. He became a grandfather this spring – and is not sure if he would’ve lived to see this milestone if he hadn’t listened to what his body was trying to tell him.
His biggest piece of advice – if something doesn’t feel right, talk to your doctor.
Hear from David and his daughter, Laura, in this story by WHTM-TV (Harrisburg, Pa.).
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