Saint Luke’s honored father and daughter John Romero and Allison Romero at the Kauffman Center’s third Trailblazing Talks presentation of the season on March 10.
As recipients of the Survivor Seat, or in this case, seats, Saint Luke’s celebrated the resilience and courage of both John and Allison. The Survivor Seat was created in collaboration with the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts to honor Saint Luke’s patients who have risen above extraordinary health challenges with a spirit of determination.
In 2021, John was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer after a routine colonoscopy — despite having no symptoms. A few weeks later, his daughter Allison was also diagnosed with colorectal cancer, a nightmare that neither expected to face.
Despite the devastating circumstances, John and Allison supported each other on their journeys back to health. They both turned to Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute for care and began chemotherapy together. While Allison responded well to the treatment, John experienced rare complications.
After his first chemotherapy infusion, John experienced acute pain and was diagnosed with a coronary spasm, a cardiac side effect that forced his care team to pause treatment. While this might have meant stopping his most effective chemotherapy treatment somewhere else, it meant something different at Saint Luke’s.
John’s oncologist, Dr. Marc Roth (center), partnered with cardiologists from Saint Luke’s Mid-America Heart Institute through its Cardio-Oncology program, working together to protect his heart and allowing him to continue the treatment best suited to fight his cancer. Dr. Roth is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. Dr. Roth believes a successful treatment plan must be personalized to treat the patient’s physical and emotional needs, as well as their specific cancer. With a personalized plan in place, John was able to resume treatment.
Throughout the years, John and Allison continued to show up for each other as patients and as family. Today, Allison is cancer-free, and John has no current signs of cancer. Saint Luke’s recognizes that no two people walk the same cancer journey and is proud to spotlight these two individuals’ perseverance.
Photos by Dean Shepard.
