Ethel Zelenske: A story of hope & beating cancer

The first thing most cancer patients realize is that nothing can be taken for granted again, especially time. For Ethel Zelenske, a patient in the Sandra & Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute at GBMC, each moment is a precious gift. Now in remission and stable, Ethel has cheated cancer more than once. She credits clinical trials at GBMC.

"When I was first diagnosed with the gynecologic cancer, I remember my oncologist telling me she could give me a few good years. But here I am, ten years later. Every day is a bonus and I have a great quality of life! This trial has given me the best gift of all — TIME! That I thought I would never have."

When Ethel was diagnosed several years ago, it was not her first breast cancer experience. Her mother died of the same disease when Ethel was just six years old. Ethel received her treatment from The Sandra and Malcolm Comprehensive Breast Care Center at GBMC. After Dr. Lauren Schnaper performed surgery, Ethel was referred to medical oncologist Dr. Madhu Chaudhry. Today, more than 20 years later, Dr. Priyanka Mittar is Ethel's doctor, though she has offered to consult with Dr. Chaudhry.

Dr. Chaudhry enrolled Ethel in two clinical trials, one for chemotherapy and another for hormonal therapy, years later. Her breast cancer has not returned.

Cruelly, this was not Ethel's only cancer battle. Four years after her original diagnosis, Ethel went through genetic testing and discovered that she was positive for the BRCA1+ gene mutation that leads to a higher occurrence of breast and ovarian cancer. She relied on the team at GBMC HealthCare once again. However, despite a prophylactic gynecological surgery, Ethel developed a rare cancer similar to ovarian cancer. It was then that Ethel added another GBMC physician, gynecological oncologist, Dr. Kimberly Levinson to her treatment team. Her cancer has a survival rate of less than 50%, and Ethel has experienced two recurrences with this specific type of cancer.

Initially, she received chemotherapy, surgery, and three years of drug therapy. Dr. Chaudhry continued to study and treat Ethel and suggested she enroll in a new clinical trial, one with targeted oral therapy and a good response rate for women carrying the BRCA gene. This was Ethel's third clinical trial with GBMC and after the second recurrence of gynecologic cancer, she is in remission and stable, ten years after her initial diagnosis.

Ethel still visits her team every three months. She gets a CT scan, bloodwork, and other tests. The preliminary results of this trial have been published and Ethel is happy to report that she is in the small group of women who have not only had a reduction in the disease but have gone into remission.

The best part is that being cance- free is, well, free. Ethel receives the oral medication at no cost since she is still being studied by the trial.

In gratitude for the wonderful treatment and care she received in the Berman Cancer Institute, Ethel shared that she has included a generous provision in her estate plans for GBMC. She has designated GBMC Oncology Support Services at a 25% beneficiary of her IRA. With this gift, GBMC has welcomed Ethel into our Elizabeth Duncan Yaggy Society, reserved for those benefactors who have made a gift to GBMC in the context of their estate plans.

Today, along with her Yaggy Society membership, Ethel continues to volunteer at GBMC's Corner Shop. Additionally, she has joined the Patient Family Advisory Council. If you're fortunate enough to meet her around campus, you'll see that Ethel Zelenske is full of joy and is making the most of the gift of time she has received, thanks to the care of the many GBMC oncologists involved in the Clinical Trials Program.

The Elizabeth Duncan Yaggy Society honors loyal benefactors who have provided for GBMC in their estate plans or with a gift to GBMC that pays them a lifetime of income. Please contact us to learn more.