Patient Stories
John Peretti was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer in August of 2022. By December, he had completed his treatment with chemotherapy and radiation therapy at Northwest Health.
Today, after several months of medical testing and multiple checks and re-checks, there is no evidence of cancer in John’s body and he gives credit and his greatest gratitude to Northwest Health.
John’s Journey began with Northwest Medical Group
For John, it began with painful recurring earaches that led him to seek medical attention from his family care physician, Dr. Thomas Browne at Northwest Medical Group – Primary Care in Knox. Dr. Browne referred him to the medical group’s ear, nose and throat specialist, Dr. Neil Wangstrom in La Porte, who scheduled the CT scan that detected the cancerous tumor.
“When I was told that I had head and neck cancer and needed chemotherapy, ‘I said no, forget it. I’m not going through that,’” said John. “And that’s when my doctor, hematologist/oncologist Dr. Kalid Adab said, ‘John, it’s the best thing for you,’ and I remember looking at my daughter, who agreed. That’s when we decided to stay at Northwest Health for my cancer treatment.”
Regaining Hope during Treatment with the Help of the Cancer Care Team
For two months, John received chemotherapy for 5 ½ - 6 hours every Friday at the Northwest Health – La Porte infusion center. John recalls, “The nurses were so kind – always in there checking on me, asking me if I was comfortable, or if I needed anything to eat or drink. They really got to know me and I knew they cared.”
And John’s care didn’t end when he went home. “Between visits, members of the cancer care team called to check on me, to ensure I was doing well and to help schedule all of my appointments and tests,” he shared. John gives special credit to the cancer care nurse navigator for going above and beyond, helping him with his insurance and other household issues to help ease his worries and aid him on his healing journey.
After chemotherapy, John went to Northwest Health – Porter, conveniently located in nearby Valparaiso, to complete his cancer care treatment with radiation therapy.
“It’s because of Northwest Health’s Cancer Care Services that I am cancer free today,” said John. “All of the people in the cancer care unit, and especially my oncology nurse practitioner Shannon Tingle, are the very best people in the world! They gave me hope and supported me in so many ways.”