Head and Neck Cancer Survivor Ray La Boeuf of Belle Plaine
Celebrates Life® At Cancer Treatment Centers of America®
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Joins Fellow Five-Year Cancer Survivors in Tree-Planting Ceremony
Zion, Illinois – June 5, 2009 – Ray La Boeuf returned to Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Midwestern Regional Medical Center in suburban Chicago today to celebrate his five years as a head and neck cancer survivor. La Boeuf was joined by doctors, hospital administration and the clinical support team in a tree-planting ceremony in his honor. Five doves were released at the conclusion of the event to commemorate each year of his fighting survival.
La Boeuf, 57 of Belle Plaine, Kansas was diagnosed with stage four squamous cell carcinoma in the summer of 2003 after going to the doctor for what he had thought was just swollen glands. Instead, La Boeuf learned that he had four tumors in his neck, one that was described to him as being the size of a hand-ball. “My local surgical oncologist suggested that I would only have about a 50/50 chance of living five years. And to me, this was exciting news, since the research on the internet gave only about a 20% chance,” he said.
After a few more medical opinions and additional internet research, it was a friend’s recommendation to check out hyperthermia treatment that ultimately brought La Boeuf more than 750 miles from home to Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, Illinois. La Boeuf’s treatment at CTCA consisted of chemotherapy, radiation and hyperthermia combined with complementary therapies like nutrition, naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and spiritual support. “I had lost close to 30 pounds by the time I got to Illinois. I wanted to do everything I could to fight the cancer but when I asked the oncologist in Kansas about my diet, he told me that ‘diet is hogwash’ – that I could eat at McDonalds every day and it wouldn’t make a difference,” he remembers. “Looking back now, I know that the nutrition and complementary therapy I got at CTCA is part of what helped get me the quality of life I have today.”
Now, after being a cancer survivor of five years, La Boeuf’s advice to other patients is clear, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Be empowered to learn everything you can about your cancer. You are the one with everything to gain and everything to lose,” he said.
After thirty years of service, both as a civil servant and in the Air Force, La Boeuf retired from the Air National Guard in 2001. He then started working for Boeing Technical Publications in Kansas. On the weekends, he enjoys coaching his 8-year old son Isaac’s soccer, baseball and basketball teams and attending church with friends every Sunday. He is also a member of the Belle Plaine City Council, the Belle Plaine Lion’s Club President and the Sumner County Kansas Republican Party Chairman. With so much life surrounding him, La Boeuf remarks ‘how sweet it is’ to “become an official five-year survivor. It is so important to me to see my son grow up and be successful…I am planning to be a part of so many things to come! The best part of all is I get to do those things with my wife, Cindy, and our son.”
This year, 104 CTCA patients are celebrating their five-year triumph over cancer at CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center. “At Cancer Treatment Centers of America, we surround each patient with a multidisciplinary care team that is designed to meet their individual needs,” said Anne Meisner, president and CEO at CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center. “Our team provides state of the art treatment protocols with fully integrated complementary therapies. We empower our patients to help them take control of their cancer and every patient is treated as though they were a member of our own family. We are so proud of our celebrants and honored to acknowledge and celebrate their journey and continued success,” she added.
About Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is a national network of hospitals providing a comprehensive, fully integrated approach to cancer treatment. CTCA serves patients with complex cancer from all 50 states at facilities located in suburban Chicago, Philadelphia, Tulsa and suburban Phoenix. Known for delivering the Mother Standard® of care and Patient Empowerment Medicine®, CTCA provides patients with information about cancer and their treatment options so they can control their treatment decisions. For more information about CTCA, go to www.cancercenter.com.
