A Cancer Hail Mary Saved My Life

Mellany Gray, an organized business owner and mother of two, spent most of her time driving her teenagers from one sport to the next. An avid fan of enjoying the “simple pleasures” of life, Mellany’s life suddenly became anything but simple when a lump on her leg was diagnosed as embryonal alveolar pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma – a rare form of sarcoma found in less than 1% of adult cancer patients.After receiving various treatments including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and a thoracotomy with a lobectomy, Mellany’s cancer continued to spread throughout her body. Running out of options, she met Manny Mangat, M.D., medical oncologist and hematologist at Texas Oncology–Midland Allison Cancer Center, who was determined to find a solution. A few months in, Mellany was admitted to the hospital with a brain tumor and given not much longer to live. Dr. Mangat ensured her they weren’t done fighting. He decided to look into immunotherapy, an advanced form of therapy that helps the body’s immune system fight cancer cells, which was a fairly new treatment option at the time. Throwing a Hail Mary, Dr. Mangat started her on this treatment, with no idea what the outcome would be. Incredibly, Mellany’s scans started to clear up, with no signs of cancer.Hear Mellany’s story and how immunotherapy, a cancer Hail Mary, saved her life.TexasOncology.com/podcast