Suzy's Journey Through Appendiceal Cancer, HIPEC, and Her Final Chemo

"You just don’t think it’s going to happen to you,” says Suzy Valladares, native of Louisiana, devoted dog mom, and, against all odds, cancer survivor. Suzy is a healthcare professional herself, serving as the director of a facility for people who are developmentally delayed. She also used to work in the now closed Charity Hospital pediatric intensive care unit – the same one she was born in. 

With this range of healthcare experience, Suzy knows anything can happen to anyone. But when she was told she had appendiceal cancer, her world stopped. “I don’t think I was breathing for five minutes,” she says. “I went into a fog.” 

Suzy’s cancer diagnosis came in 2023 at the age of 61. After a series of symptoms leading to her diagnosis, followed by a ground-breaking cancer treatment at University Medical Center, she took hold of the chance to continue the life she's never taken for granted – and certainly never will now. 

Appendix Pains to Cancer: Suzy’s Appendiceal Cancer Diagnosis 

In October 2023, Suzy started experiencing pains in her appendix. “Being who I am, I didn’t want to go sit in the ER for 8 to 12 hours. I kind of ignored it and went to urgent care,” she recalls. 

At urgent care, they said she probably had a gastrointestinal virus and advised her to go to the Emergency Room if her pain came back. For a few weeks, she seemed to be in the clear. 

In November, Suzy’s pain reappeared. She scheduled an appointment with her primary care provider, who ordered a CT scan (an imaging test that uses X-rays and a computer to create images of bones and tissue). 

The CT scan showed ruptures in two places, and she needed an appendectomy (surgery to remove the appendix). After her appendectomy, her care team sent the tissues they removed to pathology for further study. Ten days later, she got the call – she had cancer in her appendix. 

Suzy’s next step was with Dr. Omeed Moaven, Assistant Professor, Surgical Oncologist, and Assistant Professor of Surgery and Interdisciplinary Oncology at the LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine and LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center. 

It was Dr. Moaven who explained what the future held, including surgery and chemotherapy. “He was explaining surgery to me, and that’s the only time I cried,” she says. “Just a couple tears going down my face because I couldn’t hold them in. It sounded like a lot.” 

To support her at this appointment, Suzy brought her friend, Gaynell. Gaynell, who is a nurse, became a central figure in Suzy’s journey. 

“My advice to people – make sure you bring someone with you on those appointments. You are only going to hear, at best, half of what they say. You’re just going to be a deer in the headlights,” Suzy says. 

How HIPEC and Chemotherapy Powered Suzy’s Appendiceal Cancer Journey 

Just two months after Suzy’s initial visit to urgent care, in December she was scheduled for another surgery – this time to address the cancer in her appendix. Her surgery would be combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), an advanced treatment for cancers in the abdominal cavity. 

One of the primary benefits of HIPEC is that it allowed Dr. Moaven to combine surgery and chemotherapy into one session. Other benefits of HIPEC include the chemotherapy being heated, making it more effective at killing cancer cells, and the medicine being injected directly into the abdominal cavity, where it can take on a more targeted approach. HIPEC is often more effective than traditional chemotherapy, and it comes with fewer side effects. 

Suzy says she’s grateful that University Medical Center has a HIPEC program, as not all cancer centers offer this treatment. “It’s state of the art,” she says. “They’re up and running with the newer treatments.” 

She’s also grateful to have Dr. Moaven as her surgical oncologist leading the charge. “I love him,” she says. “He has to be one of the best surgeons. His bedside manner is phenomenal.” 

After her HIPEC procedure, Suzy was told she’d spend five to seven days in the hospital. But she managed to make it out in just four days – something she attributes to getting up and moving around. 

“No matter what – get out of the bed,” she says. “Don’t lay in the pain and let the pain take you down. Work through it.” 

After HIPEC, Suzy’s treatment wasn’t over. Throughout 2024, she underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy – a journey she says was undeniably challenging. 

“Chemo sucks. The aftereffects suck,” she says. “It’s a hard journey, and there’s nothing easy about it.” 

Suzy faced side effects from nausea to nerve damage (called neuropathy), which made it hard to touch or swallow anything cold. She also lost weight, which instead of viewing as a negative, she embraced as a silver lining. 

“Find what’s positive for you,” she says. “Maybe it’s a day-by-day thing. I woke up this morning – that's a positive. I can walk around my house, eat my food, drive my car.” 

Even with all the positivity in the world, she says chemotherapy will “never be peaches and cream.” However, it is doing its job and killing cancer cells. 

“Poison is killing cancer, and I don’t want cancer in my body. Boom – be gone,” she says. 

In October 2024, Suzy finished her last round of chemotherapy, giving her the opportunity to ring the Survivor’s Bell to signify the end of treatment – and the beginning of a new phase of life. 

A Sense of Humor and a Strong Support System 

Completing chemotherapy was a major milestone, and Suzy’s determination, positivity, and sense of humor played a crucial role in helping her get there. “Humor has always been how I cope with stress,” she says. “My humor came out more.” 

She also pulled strength from her late mother. “I thought about my mom and how she wouldn’t want me to give up,” she recalls. 

Still, chemotherapy isn’t an individual feat. For starters, she relied on a robust support system for things like getting to and from chemo sessions. “You can’t drive yourself to chemo,” she says.  

Suzy also moved in with her friend Gaynell for a few months to recover. During her stay, Gaynell and her husband, John, would cook for her and encourage her to eat. She recalls once, just four bites into a meal, running to the bathroom. 

“John said, ‘What? Is it my cooking?’” she recalls. “And he still makes fun of that.” 

Gaynell and the rest of her support system provided much-needed emotional support, as well. She said it helped to have people around. “I wasn’t alone,” she says. 

A Cancer-Free Future and a New Furry Friend 

As Suzy looks to the future, her hopes are simple but powerful, starting with remaining cancer free. So far, her scans have been clear, and she’ll continue with regular surveillance for the next five years. 

One lingering challenge is the neuropathy caused by her treatment, but Suzy sees it as the price she paid to beat cancer. “Any day that I’m above ground is a good day,” she says. 

To keep her spirits up, she's adding a furry friend to her family – a new puppy named Drew, after football player Drew Brees. With her grown dogs by her side, Drew will bring new energy to her life. “I’ll have to get up every two hours to train him, but I’ll do it. He’ll motivate me to move and get out of bed,” she says. 

Along with training her new puppy, Suzy will return to work this December, ready to reclaim the routines she’s missed. 

From diagnosis to treatment and beyond, Suzy has found a way to embrace each stage. She looks forward to more joy, plenty of puppy snuggles, and a cancer-free future.