In March 2022, a routine MRI for neck pain revealed that David Rosenberg had a spinal cord condition that put him at risk of paralysis. To remedy the condition, he had major neurosurgery on his cervical spine.
Eight months later, another health issue arose. He discovered a lump in his neck while shaving.
Although it was the holiday season, Rosenberg immediately sprang into action, getting a CT scan and an appointment with an ENT on December 26. Upon reviewing his tests, the consensus of his providers was that it was likely cancer. In January, he had surgery to remove a cyst and lymph nodes; the biopsy and pathology results confirmed it to be stage I throat cancer.
Rosenberg worked near Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center at South Lake Union; it’s where he went for his COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. So after his diagnosis, he contacted Fred Hutch and was referred to Upendra Parvathaneni, MD, FRANZCR, who specializes in head and neck cancer radiation, including proton therapy.
“I liked Dr. Parvathaneni,” Rosenberg said. “He was direct and told it like it was. He also demonstrated confidence in his ability to treat my cancer and he was kind.”
Parvathaneni told Rosenberg that proton therapy would be a good option to treat his throat cancer because it would help minimize radiation exposure to his nearby healthy tissue. Given the size of the cancerous cyst, he recommended chemotherapy at the same time and referred him to medical oncologist Ed Marzbani, MD.
“It felt very fortunate that I had the choice to be treated with protons and that the proton center was only 15 minutes from my house,” Rosenberg said. “Proton treatment was five days a week and on Tuesdays, I was able to start the day with chemotherapy with Dr. Marzbani, then walk across the parking lot to be treated with protons. Head and neck treatment is difficult, but the coordinated care was truly amazing. Most importantly, my outcome so far has been really great.”
Rosenberg used his daily treatments to connect with his care team and learn as much as he could about the people and the health care system. The whole experience was so positive he even began to think about changing careers.
“I told them that coming in was the best part of my day,” Rosenberg said. “When they asked how that could be, I simply explained that it was because they were trying to save my life and give me more years with my family. The science of it all is incredible, but it’s also the people. The care I received was world class.”
Rosenberg especially enjoyed the rapport with his radiation therapists. Knowing it was rewarding work but couldn’t be easy administering cancer care every day, he reminded them daily that he was part of their team, checking in with them and chatting if they had a particularly hard day.
“David was such a pleasure to be around when he came in for treatment,” said one of his radiation therapists, Ivana Juncaj. “I looked forward to his treatment time every day because he always filled the room with so much positivity and optimism no matter what he was going through that day. He’s the definition of strength and courage.”
Because of the intensity of the beam and the location of his tumor, Rosenberg experienced some challenging side effects, including swallowing and speech issues. He shared his best advice for others dealing with cancer treatment.
“Don’t focus on side effects, focus on a positive outcome so you can do all the things you want to do in life,” he said. “Stay connected with the doctors and definitely ask questions. Follow preventative guidance provided by the care team. Then, try to focus on the future. I think that’s why it’s important to invest time with your care team and ideally have a good rapport. You need to feel like you are in good hands and they are giving you the attention that your case needs.”
In the six months since finishing treatment, Rosenberg has had several scans and scopes – none of which have found any evidence of disease.
Despite two major health issues in less than two years, he said he feels fortunate and grateful -- for the science, his care team, his family, his friends and his employer who provided the space he needed to return to good health.
This holiday season, he’s back at work at his job in global marketing, but he’s hoping to one day use his marketing and communications skills – as well as his unique perspective as a patient -- to shift his career into health care.
