The Faith Journey
- PFCCAP Admin
- Aug 11, 2024
- 1 min read
Updated: Sep 17, 2024
Paul Kalusa
Virginia
August 2024
In 2022, Virginia musician Paul Kalusa had a two-month-old daughter and a diagnosis of stage-IV colon cancer. His doctor said there was nothing to be done. Added to that, his best friend had recently died of the same cancer. His daughter would never know her father. Paul and his wife, a nurse, were devastated.
His doctor said Paul had but a few months left, but Paul is a fighter; he had to do something, so he began aggressive chemotherapy treatments while his wife, Irene, researched abdominal cancer treatments. She came upon the name of Baltimore surgeon Dr. Armando Sardi and a not so well-known cancer treatment, Cytoreductive Surgery /Hyperthermic (or Heated) Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy. CRS/HIPEC for short.
In their first meeting, Dr. Sardi explained Paul’s abdominal organs would be bathed in a heated chemotherapy solution to kill the cancerous mucus that had invaded his body. It seemed to Paul and (wife) that the faith and prayers of their church community had been answered. Now, there was hope!
“One day people will watch this story.”
Two years ago Paul was handed a death sentence. Today, he is cancer-free and raising his two-year-old daughter. In September 2023, Paul and his family band performed in the HIPEC Awareness talent show. On the day of his surgery, Irene told him, “One day people will watch this story.” Indeed, they will, as more people learn about the life-saving miracle that is HIPEC.
Paul with his family.