Cancer survivor cherishes 2nd chance
It started with numbness in his left foot. Patrick Docteroff was participating in a 5K run in April 2016, and within the first 100 yards he was tripping over himself.
“For some reason,” the 41-year-old Pembroke Pines resident said, “my left foot wasn’t following through, it wasn’t following instructions.”
In August 2016, Docteroff, a husband and father of three children, was diagnosed with brain cancer — a Grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma.
On Saturday, Docteroff, now in remission, will ride his bike 35 miles in the Miami Ride segment of the Dolphins Cancer Challenge VIII, which benefits the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“If you’ve got a Grade 3 you can beat the odds and live for a while,” said Docteroff, a vice president/ banker within the JP Morgan private banking group in Miami.
“And there’s lots of survivors.”
The challenge begins at 5:30 p.m. today with a KickOff Party at Hard Rock Stadium. The highlight is Saturday. The event features five bike routes of varying distances throughout South Florida, a run/walk 5K and a finish line celebration at Hard Rock Stadium headlined by concerts featuring the Goo Goo Dolls and Big Head Todd and The Monsters.
The Dolphins Cancer Challenge has raised more than $22.5 million and donates 100 percent of funds raised to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
“Those guys are legit,” Docteroff said. “They are the best doctors you could have on your team. … The Dolphins Cancer Challenge and Sylvester Cancer Center, those are two organizations that are very important to me.”
Docteroff rode in the Fort Lauderdale Ride last year, a 25-mile route, and he treasures the camaraderie he felt during the event.
“We were feeding off each other’s energy,” he said. “We felt like we’re not alone.”
Docteroff decided to sponsor a team this year and got help from his employer.
“I really want to make sure the Dolphins Cancer Challenge is supported by participation,” he said.
Docteroff, like many cancer patients, had a bumpy road to get to this point.
“You get bad news, and then you get more bad news,” Docteroff said. “It seems like it’s never-ending.”
After being diagnosed, and before having Dr. Ricardo Komotar perform the surgery on his golf ballsized tumor, Docteroff attended a niece’s wedding in North Carolina. The entire family was at the wedding.
“It was serendipitous,” he said. “I had a chance to look everybody in the eye and ‘I love you.’ ”
He appreciated the opportunity, but also couldn’t ignore its gravity.
“It was heavy, it still was,” he said. “I tried not to think about it. My brother is my best friend. We cried, both of us. The last time that happened was when we were beating the crap out of each other when we were 11, 12 years old.”
Following the surgery — Docteroff was conscious during the procedure and left the hospital the next day — came six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy and weeks of rehabilitation.
“It’s tough sledding,” he said. “There’s a lot of days strung together where you’re not feeling great. You just want to curl up into a bed and just kind of stay there.”
Docteroff tried to shield his wife, Liz, and his children, 21-year-old Marisa and 9-year-old twin boys, Matt and Chris, from his emotional lows as much as he could. After all, Liz’s mother died of breast cancer.
But there were also victories during the entire process that kept Docteroff going. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, sent Docteroff a handwritten letter of encouragement.
Most importantly, Docteroff found out he might have a gene that could extend his life expectancy by 15 or 20 years. He took a test.
“It’s life or death,” he said. “And that’s what it’s like for cancer patients. It’s not easy. It’s heavy. Really heavy.”
The results took about four weeks. It was a long wait.
“You’re talking to a guy who has repeatedly gotten bad news over the course of, like, the last three months of his life,” he said.
The test results were positive. He had the IDH gene.
“After that I felt I had a new lease on life,” he said.
Although Docteroff must still undergo follow-up checkups he’s back in life’s daily grind and routine. But he tries to keep the perspective — loving life and embracing life — he’s gained through this experience.
“I won the bad lottery, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” he said. “I think about it pretty pragmatically. I don’t feel bad or cursed. I don’t blame anybody or anything. I don’t blame God.
“I just think about the opportunity that I have now. I’ve got a long life to live. That’s kind of what I focus on.”
“We were feeding off each other’s energy. We felt like we’re not alone.” Pat Docteroff, on the camaraderie he felt in last year’s event