Ronald’s Story: Beating the Odds with Compassionate Care

Ron Nahrwold’s wife, Rose, describes his cancer journey with one word, “whirlwind.” Ron was an active and healthy 70 year-old when he began feeling nauseous and noticed a slight lump on his nose. Within a matter of weeks, the lump took over the majority of his face, causing him to live in constant pain. After many consultations and tests to rule out other problems, Ron was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of cancer. The technical name is malignant olfactory neuroblastoma, or cancer of the nasal cavity and skull base. With only roughly twenty known cases in the world, doctors were not familiar with how to treat this aggressive and deadly type of cancer.

A trip to a specialist in Indianapolis left Ron feeling hopeless. He was told he had less than two months to live unless he underwent a radical surgery that would remove much of his nose and leave him blind, followed by radiation treatment and chemotherapy. On the way home, Ron and Rose decided together that it would be better to let the disease run its course.

Ron continued to worsen, eventually losing his eyesight. He was very ill and in the hospital when he decided to go home and undergo Hospice care. It had only been a little over two months since Ron first noticed the tiny lump on his nose.

Then Ron got the phone call that changed everything. The radiologist assigned to Ron’s case did not know Ron had refused treatment, so he was calling to see why he missed his appointment. He spoke very honestly to Ron, arguing that they should at least try treatment. He explained that letting the cancer continue would not be an easy road. The cancer would invade Ron’s brain and make life terrible, for both Ron and Rose. “That’s what convinced me,” Ron says. “I didn’t want Rose to suffer.”

Ron said yes to treatment. His first appointment was with Dr. Sadiq at Fort Wayne Medical Oncology and Hematology. The doctor was shocked at the state Ron was in and the size of his tumor. Rather than go through usual channels, he insisted Ron start chemotherapy that day.

The strong treatment made Ron terribly ill, but also gave him almost immediate results. The tumor shrunk enough after one treatment for Ron to regain a tiny bit of his sight the next day. Everyone was amazed. Dr. Sadiq couldn’t believe how quickly Ron responded. More chemotherapy and radiation followed, but no surgery. Five months later, Ron had another MRI that showed his cancer was in remission.

Today, nearly three years later, Ron credits Dr. Sadiq with saving his life. He also gives a lot of credit to the nurses at the infusion center and to the radiologist for making that call. He’s also become a bit of a star at Fort Wayne Medical Oncology and Hematology, where they call him “Miracle Man.”