>>VIC MICOLUCCI: POSITIVELY JAX, ONE LOCAL WOMAN SAYS SHE NOW HAS A SECOND CHANCE AT
LIFE AFTER GETTING A 104 POUND
TUMOR REMOVED FOR YEARS,
DOCTORS TOLD 20 YEAR-OLD
ALLYSON THAT HER BULGING
STOMACH WAS SIMPLY A WEIGHT
ISSUE. DESPITE THE PAIN AND
DISCOMFORT THAT SHE FELT. SHE
TRIED AND STRUGGLED TO LOSE
WEIGHT INSPIRED BY SEEING HER
MOM BEATING CANCER. ALLISON
ULTIMATELY GOT A SECOND
OPINION ABOUT HER STOMACH
CONDITION. NOW TODAY, WE’RE SO
HAPPY TO REPORT THAT CHOOSE
ARE FREE AFTER A SUCCESSFUL
SURGERY. THAT IS JUST GREAT.
GREAT NEWS. SO ALLISON FISHER,
A PATIENT RIGHT HERE, JOINS
US. OUR SUCCESS STORY THIS
MORNING ALONG WITH DOCTOR
MARTIN MARTINO. NICOLE AND TO
NEW CHEE, WHO IS A PHYSICIAN’S
ASSISTANT PART OF THE TEAM
RIGHT THERE. SO THANK YOU ALL
FOR COMING ON. FIRST OF ALL,
WANT TO TALK TO YOU. YOU. KNEW
SOMETHING WAS WRONG MUCH.
>> WHAT HAPPENED? IN
TWENTY-TWENTY, I STARTED A
MENTION CYCLE THAT ENDED UP
LASTING AN ENTIRE YEAR I DID
NOT GO TO THE DOCTOR OR THINK
ANYTHING. MUCH OF IT BECAUSE I
WAS REALLY SCARED BECAUSE OF
HOW MY PROBLEMS WERE DISMISSED
IN THE PAST AND I WAS ALWAYS
JUST HOLD CARD LIST OF WHAT IT
WAS THAT I NEEDED TO JUST LOSE
WEIGHT. I WAS EVEN PUT ON
WEIGHT WATCHERS IS A 14
YEAR-OLD, YOU KNOW, AND I JUST
I JUST COMPLETELY IGNORED WHAT
WAS GOING ON WITH MY BODY AND
I STARTED TO SEE OTHER PEOPLE
COMING FORWARD ON SOCIAL MEDIA
ABOUT THERE, OVARIAN MASSES
AND THEIR PROBLEMS WITH THEIR
CYCLES. AND I STARTED TO
REALIZE THAT SOMETHING WAS NOT
RIGHT. WITH MY STOMACH ACHE.
AS I LOOKED CLOSER AT IT, I
REALIZE THAT IT WAS IT WAS
ROCK HARD. I COULDN’T LAY ON
IT. I FELT LIKE HOME AND
ORGANS WERE BEING CRUSHED. I
LOOKED LIKE I WAS EXTREMELY
PREGNANT. I JUST KNEW THAT
SOMETHING WAS AND AS YOU SAID,
MY MOM, DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER
IN 2021. AND AFTER WATCHING
HER BATTLE AND GO THROUGH THAT
EYE. WELL, AS THAT I SHOULD
NOT BE PUTTING OFF MY ISSUES
THE WAY THAT I WAS. SO I
DECIDED IN NOVEMBER OF 2022
THAT I FINALLY NEEDED TO GET
MYSELF TO THE DOCTOR. AND I
DID. AND SHE REALIZED THAT IT
WAS THAT SOMETHING WAS NOT
RIGHT. AND I IT IS EVENTS
PROGRESSED. IT WAS LIKE WHERE
I MET DOCTOR MARTINO IN THE ER
AND THINGS HAPPEN VERY
QUICKLY. I MET HIM IN 2 DAYS
LATER. I WAS GETTING SURGERY.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT KIND
OF MEAN CARRYING AROUND 104
POUND TUMOR. DOCTOR, MARTINO
FOR MANY PEOPLE. THAT’S
UNFATHOMABLE THAT YOU COULD
LIVE LIKE THAT. AND
>> 46 LEADERS.
>> 46 LITERS OF AND WHEN WE
MET IN EMERGENCY ROOM SHORT OF
BREATH, IT WAS RIGHT BEFORE
CHRISTMAS LINE ON YOUR SIDE
AND I SAID NOW IS THE TIME.
LET’S DO SHE SAID, PLEASE,
LET’S DO THIS. AND THAT’S WHEN
WE OUR TEAM AT ASCENSION SAINT
VINCENT’S. AND WE’VE MADE TO
THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.
CRITICAL CARE. DOCTORS
INVOLVED A CARDIOLOGIST
INVOLVED OUR OPERATING TEAM.
NICOLE AS WELL. AND EVERYONE
WE CAME TOGETHER AND SAID
LET’S LET’S FIGURE OUT A WAY
TO TO REMOVE THIS ONE OPTION
IS A LARGE INCISION. THE OTHER
IS TOO SMALL INCISIONS. WHEN
WE LOOK AT THE CAT SCAN, WE
SAID IT’S LIKELY NOT
CANCEROUS, BUT STILL IS A
LARGE LARGE, VERY BENIGN
TUMOR. WE TALKED ABOUT
INVASIVE SURGERY AND WITH THE
ROBOTIC TOOLS THAT WE HAVE THE
NEWEST TOOLS WE’RE ABLE TO DO
NICOLE, YOU’RE PART OF A TEAM,
THIS TEAM OF HEROES RIGHT
THERE.
>> AND HAVE YOU EVER DONE
ANYTHING REMOTELY LIKE THIS
TUMOR THIS LARGE SO THAT IT
TRULY TOOK A TEAM? AND THAT’S
WHAT MAKES THIS SO SPECIAL.
THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE
INVOLVED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
ALLISON IS AN AMAZING PERSON
AND WE ALL JUST FELT SO LUCKY
TO BE ABLE TO BE A PART OF IT
AND HELP HER. AND, YOU KNOW,
NOW BE PART OF HER JOURNEY
MOVING FORWARD IS JUST.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: IT’S AWESOME.
ALISON, TELL US REAL QUICKLY
ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY MOVING
FORWARD. WHAT IS LIFE LIKE FOR
STARTERS, I CAN SEE MY FEET
AGAIN. I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO
DO THAT IN I CAN STAND A
LITTLE BIT LONGER. I MEAN, I’M
STILL WORKING ON REGAINING THE
STRENGTH THAT I USED TO
BECAUSE THE CYST ABSOLUTELY
DESTROYED MY BACK. BUT
>> I YOU KNOW, I FEEL SO MUCH
LIGHTER. I FEEL LIKE A PERSON
I CAN WEAR CLOTHES. I CAN, YOU
KNOW, DO THINGS THAT NORMAL
PEOPLE CAN DO AND NOW MOVING
FORWARD. I’M IN THE BEGINNING
STAGES OF WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY
AND I’M REALLY EXCITED FOR
WHAT LIFE HAS IN STORE FOR ME.
I.
>> YOU KNOW, FEEL LIKE I’VE
GOTTEN A SECOND CHANCE. YEAH,
WE’RE SO HAPPY FOR YOU.
EXCITED TO SEE YOUR FUTURE AS
WELL. DOC, WHAT DO PEOPLE AT
HOME NEED TO BE AWARE OF?
BECAUSE CERTAINLY THERE ARE
PEOPLE THAT FEEL LIKE
SOMETHING ISN’T RIGHT. THEY
MIGHT NOT GO TO A DOCTOR WERE
ALL VERY, VERY BUSY NOWADAYS.
WE MIGHT PUT OFF TAKING CARE
OF OUR BODIES. WHAT ARE SOME
OF THE WARNING SIGNS? I BE
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND LISTEN
YOURSELF, BE YOUR OWN
ADVOCATE. IN YOUR HEALTH. YOU
HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL. YOU
KNOW, OUR TEAM IS ALWAYS HERE
TO HELP.
>> AND TALK US OUT WITH YOUR
PHYSICIAN, YOUR NURSE
PRACTITIONER PA ARE REACH OUT
AND ASK FOR HELP. AND I THINK
THAT’S THE MESSAGE IS TO A
HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT TO STAY
MENTALLY WELL, AS AS WELL ARE
ALL HERE TO HELP IS THERE
SOMETHING NICOLE THAT WOULD
HAVE CAUSED?
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: THIS TO
GROWERS? IT JUST JUST RANDOM
MEDICAL ISSUE.
>> YOU THINK I THINK IT’S JUST
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS, YOU
KNOW, AND AND IT JUST GROWS
OVER TIME AND HER CASE AND
MULTIPLE YEARS I WOULD SAY
THIS HAS GROWN FOR YEARS,
PROBABLY SINCE SHE ORIGINALLY
STARTED TO BE LATE IN
OVERTIME. JUST CONTINUE TO
EXPAND AND HER RIGHT OVARY WAS
THAT LARGER LEFTOVER ACTUALLY
WAS 10 CENTIMETERS IN TOURIST.
>> WHICH IS A TORSION. AND
AFTER WE REMOVED THE THE LARGE
OVER ENG 104 POUND OVER IN THE
LEFTOVER ITSELF WAS TURNED
WITH LITTLE PURPLE TUBE. SO
WITH WITH OUR TOOLS WERE ABLE
TO TWIST THAT AND RETURN FLOW
TO SAFER FOR WOW. AND ALL
THROUGH MINIMALLY INVASIVE
SURGERY WITH A ROBOT. GREAT,
GREAT CHRISTMAS WHO DEFINITELY
LIVING IN A MODERN WORLD.
WELL, WHAT WE’RE SO GLAD THAT
YOU’RE DOING WELL, ALLISON,