Even though many consider Friday the 13th to be an ill-fated day, Arlene says it was her lucky day. That’s the day they found her cancer. Arlene was diagnosed with an aggressive form of stage 4 pancreatic/liver cancer on Friday, June 13, 2014.

Told by a physician at another hospital she had about six months to live, Arlene and her husband, George, refused to settle for that diagnosis. “That wasn’t going to work for me,” Arlene said. “I had things to do with my grandchildren and my golf game was finally improving.”

Arlene was referred to hematologist and medical oncologist Dr. George Miranda. As soon as Arlene met Dr. Miranda, she felt a sense of peace, like everything would be alright. She promptly began treatment with Dr. Miranda’s skillful care.

She spent the next year receiving chemotherapy treatments every 12 days as an inpatient at Mission Hospital. Each treatment required a two-day stay. “Every member of my care team was an angel. They were all so attentive and caring. The Mission Hospital staff are the best.”

After the first year of chemo, Arlene was able to receive her remaining 12 months of therapy at home through a portable infusion system, administered and monitored by Dr. Miranda and his Infusion Center staff.

Today, four years after her Friday the 13th diagnosis, Arlene is cancer-free, enjoying her family. She’s attended two of her grandchildren’s high school graduations and is back out on the golf course. Arlene says she’s watching the construction of the Judi and Bill Leonard Institute for Cancer Prevention, Treatment and Wellness with great interest, knowing that so many people like her will benefit from Mission Hospital’s life-saving care.