Mesothelioma Survivor Profile: Tony Chomo
OF NOTE: PHLBI IS EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO TONY AND JANET CHOMO FOR THEIR NUMEROUS DONATIONS TO SUPPORT DR. ROBERT CAMERON’S MESOTHELIOMA RESEARCH EFFORTS AT THE PUNCH WORTHINGTON RESEARCH LABORATORY AT UCLA, FUNDED BY PHLBI.
Tony Chomo and his wife, Janet, moved from Massachusetts to California in 1977. The day finally came when Tony, a career maintenance worker and licensed plumber, had all he could take of the brutal East Coast winters. The family, now consisting of four grown children and nine grandchildren, settled in Simi Valley.
In August 2006, Tony was involved in a motorcycle accident. But, his injuries seemed minor, and Tony went home. One month later, he found himself having a hard time breathing normally. Tony went to the emergency room at Northridge Hospital. An EKG ruled out a heart attack, but fluid was found surrounding his lung, and was drained. Tests on the fluid revealed abnormal mesothelial cancer cells, and Tony was diagnosed was malignant pleural mesothelioma.
A friend told Tony about Dr. Robert Cameron at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, and Tony met Dr. Cameron in October 2006. For Tony, the eternal optimist, the family provider, the rock of stability who could nonetheless let loose on the open road atop 1200cc’s of motorcycle muscle, the options seemed slim, until Dr. Cameron talked about treating mesothelioma as a chronic condition which Tony would have to deal with the remainder of his life—like high blood pressure or diabetes. The focus became choosing a treatment that would hopefully extend his life and allow him to maintain his quality of life.
Dr. Cameron: “I told Tony that his disease appeared to be limited just to that part of the chest and did not have obvious spread to his lymph nodes. He was a good candidate for the pleurectomy with decortication procedure done, so I recommended that.” Tony had the pleurectomy with decortication surgery on January 9, 2007. Dr. Cameron, removed all visible tumor attached to Tony’s chest cavity and organs. Tony required ten days of recovery in the hospital. Tony responded reasonably well. Many people have problems with abnormal heart rhythms, pain, coughing up phlegm, and that kind of thing. But he seemed to get through that reasonably well. He’s a pretty strong person. Then Tony did radiation on the body. What’s really tricky about radiation is that you technically want to radiate every place where the tumor was present. But that involves every single surface of the lung, the diaphragm, the middle of the chest and the ribs. That’s a big area. Also, the lung itself is very sensitive to radiation damage. So you have to have a lot of fancy treatment planning to be able to deliver radiation to all those areas and yet not hurt the lung.”
Tony is proud to say he has not taken any prescription pain medication since February 2007. He feels soreness and occasional numbness at the incision site but manages it without medication. In June 2007 he finished radiation with Dr. Michael Selch at UCLA. By July 2007 he started the next phase of treatment, daily injections of interferon alpha. Initially he felt tired and fatigued from the injections, but this has since improved.
In November 2007, Tony grew concerned when a CT scan revealed possible fluid in the lower left lung. However, tests determined it was not fluid development, but rather air that had accumulated, resulting in a partial collapse of one lung. Inflammation due to radiation was still visible, but this has since improved, as well. There is currently no sign that the cancer has spread. Tony has monthly comprehensive blood tests along with scans and the Mesomark blood test every three months.
Tony tries to go on walks two to three days a week to stay active. He tires easily and notices significantly decreased breathing capacity. He loves riding his motorcycle with his buddies whenever he gets a chance and has gone on several bike rides with a friend in the mountains and in Ojai.
A Loving Couple
Tony and Jan continue their active and adventurous lifestyle. They own Harley-Davidson and Suzuki motorcycles and enjoy taking the motorcycles on tours and trips. Prior to becoming motorcycle enthusiasts, they owned boats and would go scuba diving. A seasoned dirt bike rider, Tony enjoys the thrill of showing his grandchildren how to ride off-road. And, no job or occupation is as dear to Tony as the role of “Grandpa” and babysitter. The Chomos’ home is constantly filled with the laughter and chatter of rambunctious youngsters.
Prior to his diagnosis, Tony had no plans of retiring, but since his surgery and radiation, Tony made the decision to cut out work completely, which was one of the hardest adjustments. Tony’s life has changed, but he faces those changes with fortitude and optimism. His surgery has given him the precious gift of time, which he lovingly spends with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
The money was earmarked for Dr. Cameron’s IMIS research study, a PHLBI project that will create the world’s first online database of medical records for people with asbestos-related diseases.”