Dr. Hector M Tarraza, MD

Dr Tarazza was amazing! I would definitely trust him again!

My 77 year old mother was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer. Following a hysterctomy (and as a result of the chemo) she developed a severe case of autonomic dysfunctiion which made it impossible for her to have a functioning, normal life. She was unable to drive, cook, read or do any of the things she enjoyed previous to the chemotherapy. Her cognitive function was severly impaired. Those symptoms are likely to persist for another 3 months to a year. She required someone with her 24/7 because of the fall risk. It was stated that the cancer could not be cured, but that if the cat scan following the 6 month course of chemo (taxol and carboplatin) was clean that she could potentially enjoy another 5 to 10 years. She was encouraged by Dr. Tarraza to have the surgery and proceed with the chemo. What was NOT stated until after she received the cat scan (which was clean) was that in order to remain cancer-free and gain those additional years, she would have to undergo a 6 month… course of chemotherapy EVERY YEAR. Otherwise she can expect the cancer to come back with 3-4 months time and die within 6 to 9 months of that. There were 5 intelligent, highly educated people at this meeting including my mother and at no point in the initial meeting was this stated or made clear. Neither of these choices now offer any kind of hope for a life that she wants to live.