喵咪社区

After she was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, DeeDee Rescher received top-notch care closer to home, thanks to 喵咪社区 Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center’s presence in Orange County.

In a twist of fate, DeeDee Rescher is alive today because of a cancer diagnosis. 

The actress, whose many roles include the bus driver in the film 鈥淔erris Bueller鈥檚 Day Off,鈥� discovered she had tongue cancer in 2018. She had surgery and radiation to eradicate it 鈥� and the experience taught her to stay vigilant. 

鈥淥nce you鈥檝e had cancer, you鈥檙e on alert,鈥� says DeeDee, 70, who lives in Long Beach. 鈥淎nything you feel, you want to find out what it is.鈥� 

That鈥檚 why two years later, after feeling soreness in her chest, she called her primary care doctor. He initially treated her for acid indigestion, which failed to ease her symptoms.

DeeDee was also having regular scans as part of her follow-up care for tongue cancer. Her primary care doctor decided to look at her most recent scan.

鈥淗e saw something teeny on the scan and told me to get an endoscopy,鈥� DeeDee says. 鈥淚t turned out I had esophageal cancer.鈥�

Early intervention for squamous cell carcinoma

In March 2020, DeeDee was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a type of cancer that forms in the tissue lining of the esophagus. The most common warning sign is difficulty swallowing. 

The doctor who had operated on DeeDee鈥檚 tongue connected her with Minh Nguyen, MD, a medical oncologist with , part of 喵咪社区, which recently expanded its treatment offerings in .

Dr. Nguyen describes DeeDee as 鈥渓ucky鈥� because the cancer was caught early and hadn鈥檛 yet spread to her lymph nodes. 

鈥淭his form of cancer tends to be very aggressive,鈥� Dr. Nguyen says. 鈥淗ad she never had tongue cancer, the esophageal cancer might have been much more advanced by the time she found it.鈥� 

DeeDee says Dr. Nguyen made her feel safe and optimistic that she could beat cancer a second time.

鈥淒r. Nguyen makes you feel like you’re with a family member who’s going to give you the best care,鈥� she says. 鈥淗e gives off this vibe that you鈥檙e in good hands. Every time I saw him, it would be a relief because he would give me the confidence that I could go on.鈥�

DeeDee was also relieved to have access to treatment in Orange County, close to her home in Long Beach.

Treating esophageal cancer with esophagectomy

Dr. Nguyen describes esophageal cancer as one of the toughest to treat. He had DeeDee undergo six weeks of chemo and radiation 鈥� the side effects of which are very painful. The treatment burns the patient鈥檚 throat, which makes chewing and swallowing difficult.

鈥淪he always came in with her humor and her attitude was always, 鈥業鈥檓 going to beat this,鈥欌�� Dr. Nguyen says.

The second phase of DeeDee鈥檚 treatment was an operation called an esophagectomy, performed by John Lipham, MD, a gastrointestinal surgeon with Keck Medicine who specializes in esophageal issues.聽聽

Through incisions in her neck and stomach, Dr. Lipham removed DeeDee鈥檚 esophagus and then constructed a new one using a portion of her stomach.

Dr. Nguyen makes you feel like you’re with a family member who’s going to give you the best care…Every time I saw him, it would be a relief because he would give me the confidence that I could go on.

DeeDee Rescher, esophageal cancer patient, 喵咪社区 Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

鈥淚 was so scared to have this operation,鈥� DeeDee says, adding that a Keck Medicine support group helped give her the courage to go through with it. 

Although DeeDee experienced complications that kept her hospitalized for longer than she had hoped, she has high praise for the team that took care of her.

鈥淵ou put all your energy into surviving, and all these people selflessly give their strength, love, friendship and expertise,鈥� DeeDee says. 鈥淎nd when I got my first scan that said I was cancer-free, I went to every person I had seen during my entire journey and said thank you.鈥�  

Lifestyle adjustments and follow-up care for esophageal cancer

To recover from her esophagectomy, DeeDee had in-home nursing care for six weeks and slowly built up the ability to eat solid foods again.

Three years later, DeeDee eats smaller, more frequent meals because her stomach fills quickly, and she takes daily medication targeting the acid in her stomach. Her follow-up treatment includes regular endoscopies as well as scans and blood tests.

鈥淎t this point, DeeDee is considered cured,鈥� Dr. Nguyen says. 鈥淪he’s beaten cancer twice 鈥� she got hit by lightning twice and beat it twice.鈥�

Thanks to her treatment, DeeDee has been able to continue her acting career. She is currently co-starring in the Disney series 鈥淏unk鈥檇.鈥�

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e going through cancer, it鈥檚 one step at a time,鈥� DeeDee says. 鈥淎nd, with the encouragement of people like Dr. Nguyen, comes the belief in yourself that you can do this. As frightening as it is, you can overcome cancer.鈥�

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