Feb 18, 2025 | Cancer, Patient Stories
Sheryl Miller thought it was just stomach pain. As a registered dental hygienist for nearly 37 years, she was used to taking care of others — not being the one in the hospital. But in November 2023, a sudden wave of abdominal pain led her to the ER — twice. “I thought...
Feb 14, 2025 | Cancer, Heart Health
When facing cancer, patients and their doctors focus on beating the disease. But what happens when the very treatments that save lives also put the heart at risk? That’s where Tara Jarreau, MD, Baton Rouge’s leading cardio-oncologist with Our Lady of the Lake Cancer...
Nov 20, 2024 | Patient Stories
Tennis is life to Shelby Dufrene. She played tennis in college at University of Louisiana – Lafayette and has taught tennis in Baton Rouge for more than three years. Nothing could keep her from the tennis court — even a diagnosis of stage 3 pancreatic cancer. And it...
Nov 1, 2024 | Patient Stories
Henry Chase was used to joining his wife, Judith, who has emphysema, for checkups with her pulmonologist, James L. Vermaelen, MD. As they were leaving one of those checkups in October 2023, Henry asked Dr. Vermaelen a question that had been weighing on his mind. “I...
Jul 20, 2024 | Cancer, Patient Stories
Shelby Graciana had spent her whole life as a successful athlete. From the time she was a teen, Graciana was a star on the tennis court, at one point ranking as the top tennis player in Louisiana. More recently, Graciana has worked as a tennis coach in South...
