- I have to constantly remind myself like healing
is not like a straight line.
It's more of like a squiggle.
(sharp music)
Okay, I'll just start talking. - [Interviewer] Yeah.
- Hi, I'm Cat Circo.
And I'm here to tell you what it's like
to participate in a clinical trial.
What is a clinical trial?
A clinical trial is when they are trying to study
if a drug or a treatment plan
is effective or not in, you know
in this situation, it was trying to add an extra layer
of care for curing cancer.
How did you find out you had cancer?
I had just been experiencing some weird symptoms
and here and there, they were insignificant
but then I honestly just had a weird moment
in a Monday meeting and I got so dizzy.
And I just felt off and I just had this instinct
that something was probably wrong.
And so I actually left, as soon as that meeting was over
and went to the ER and that's where
we ended up doing an ultrasound and taking some biopsies.
And a few days later, I found out that it was cancer.
What led you to hearing about the clinical trial
and how did you get involved with the clinical trial?
I heard about it because after my first round of tests
my scans came back and
the cancer that I had had spread into
some of my lymph nodes.
And so part of the clinical trial was having that
in your lymph nodes and that qualified me.
And so after the scans
that's when UCSD Health came to me
and, you know gave me the rundown
and invited me to participate.
Tell us about the clinical trial you participated in.
I probably should know
like the name of the trial, but I don't
it's kind of a lot of information to take in at once.
But basically the clinical trial I participated in
was testing if this additional type of chemo
or immunotherapy was effective
in the timing of administering the drug.
How long did it take to start the clinical trial?
So I think it was probably maybe at least a month
after I got the news and decided to participate.
And that was a little nerve wracking for me
because my tumor was growing like really fast
between the first initial scan
and the second scan two weeks in between.
And my tumor had grown like a centimeter in diameter.
And so it was like the size of a lemon.
And that really freaked me out.
What are the pros of doing a clinical trial?
The people you get extra people
you get a whole extra layer of care.
So I have my main oncologist,
my radiation oncologist and the clinical trial coordinator
and they are amazing people.
They help schedule things for you.
I hate, I hate calling people on the phone and
I didn't have to, because they were doing that.
They were calling and scheduling a lot
of these things for me, which was such a huge relief.
And they just they're great.
They chit chat with you.
They care about you.
They have great insight from other patients.
That's just a different layer that comes from your doctor.
So it was just really interesting
and really amazing to feel this just whole extra layer
of care and support every single time.
I think that I would have really missed that
if I hadn't done the clinical trial.
What are the cons of doing a clinical trial?
Cons, hmm.
I don't really have a con actually to explain here.
I thought I feel like I had a really great experience
and I felt very informed and you know
they were very upfront with so many things.
So I don't really see actually any cons
in my situation to speak to, which I think is nice.
Did the clinical trial work?
Well, I don't have cancer right now.
So probably yes.
I think that it's still in the works right now.
I would love to understand
if I'm ever gonna personally see the results.
I think that would be really cool.
Were you worried that you would get the placebo?
This was probably the most common question I got
about participating in a clinical trial.
And I did ask this question, what's up with the placebo?
And the answer is there was no placebo.
Placebos are only really used when they're trying
to find out if a drug is effective.
That's where that placebo and those control groups come in.
This was not trying to figure out if it worked or not.
It was trying to figure out when to give it.
So that's what the two tiers of the trial were
it was like the A, was three weeks before
my chemo and radiation
and B was starting on chemo and radiation.
And so that's the arm that I got into.
So that was something I just didn't really have to think
about is like, I was just not gonna get the placebo.
'Cause it just wasn't needed.
What makes working with UC San Diego Health doctors special?
I was blown away by the doctors
and the care and their memories because you know
they have so many patients, they've all of these things.
They just come in with a smile on their face.
They're there, they're ready to cheer you on.
If you're not feeling well, they're not happy.
They want you to be feeling better.
So you just feel like you are the center
of attention to be honest.
And it's really great.
I would also have moments where I would,
for instance like message,
send like a message to Dr. McHale.
And then Dr. Mayadev would call me and say,
hey, I saw this message
just wanted to follow up with you myself.
I know Dr. McHale's on it,
but just wanted to do like a double check.
Like let me know what's going on.
So just like there's really small like layers in moments.
I was always so blown away
that they had time to like, think about me that way.
So it was really amazing.
Who in your life supported you and what did they do to help?
I am so lucky.
I have so many people from all aspects
of my life that showed up,
whether it was just support on social media
or coworkers or people showing up
and offering to walk my dog
which was needed 'cause I have a crazy border collie
but I also decided to be very open
and because I chose and was able
to be really open and honest
I got all of that like love and support back.
So this was gifted to me by my coworker.
This is a giant blanket of my dog.
This is my dog Ava.
She's a border collie.
I love her so much.
And this made my day.
So this was actually my chemo blanket.
My chemo situation, I loved it.
I would go in and I would ask for three pillows
one under my knees, one on my lap and one behind my head.
And that I'd asked for two heated blankets.
And then I would put this on top of it.
So that was like my kind of chemo situation.
And it like really made for a great laugh
because the nurses would kind of like
turn around the corner
and then like see this giant face
and become a little startled
and we would just laugh about it and have a conversation.
And you know, it's just one of those moments
of having something around you that just makes you happy.
What would you tell someone considering
to be in a clinical trial?
I would say, you know
just get as much information as possible.
Ask a lot of questions.
No question is too dumb or stupid.
It's so important to just be as informed as possible.
I've had a lot of ups and downs emotionally, physically.
I have to constantly remind myself like healing
is not like a straight line.
It's more of like a squiggle.
So that's something that I have to constantly
be telling myself on days where I'm suddenly feeling bad.
And I'm like, why this is so frustrating.
You have to be really patient with yourself
but it's also really cool.
You know, it's so sucky to have cancer,
but at least in my situation,
I was able to do something positive with it.
And it's gonna lead to like this knowledge share.
And I think that's a really, really cool part of it.
(sharp upbeat music)