Suriya Jeyapalan, MD

My mother was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme in January, 2014. Dr. Jeyapalan was her oncologist at RI Hospital. The first day my family and I had the appointment with her to discuss treatment, we waited at least an hour. My mother is lying flat on an ambulance bed a bit out of it in the office. Dr. J didn't seem to acknowledge that she wasn't quite absorbing the whole treatment plan due to her condition at the time. Dr. J's treatment for my 78 year old mother was 16 days of radiation and 6 weeks of the chemo pill with time off from the pill. My mother was in a nursing home at this time doing rehab and was shuttled back and forth for treatment to RI Hospital. During her treatment, my mother was getting weaker and more tired. Then her blood pressure kept declining to an abnormal rate. I emailed Dr. J and called her office to explain what was happening to my mother and received no response. She always seemed to be MIA. I called her secretary Cindy several times and never… received a call back. I called several people associated with her and finally got a call back from a nurse practitioner who relayed the message. As radiation went on, my mother's health seemed to be declining and she was rushed to Kent County Hospital for low blood pressure and a high fever. She was admitted there and had caught pneumonia and diverticulitis. She was treated for both. The doctor who was treating my mother at Kent was unable to get in contact with Dr. J after several calls and pages. She was then admitted to RI Hospital. Again, I was unable to get a hold of Dr. J. My mother was still getting radiation treatment even in her weakened state. She developed cdiff and caught pneumonia again. By the 16th treatment of radiation, my mother'c condition declined to a point where her body would not withstand another zap of radiation. Dr. J wasn't around to see her weakened state so she and my mother's primary care doctor said to proceed with the 16th treatment. After that my mother declined to a point where she went from barely being able to talk, to nodding her head, to blinking to no response. She was put on an oxygen mask for several days. At this time, Dr. J suddenly comes to visit my mother every day when there was no hope in sight. She mentioned to my family that my mother didn't even recognize her. That is because she hardly saw her but she recognized her other doctor. My mother was doing so badly that Dr. J actually said that she was being my mother's advocate and that we should end her suffering and let her die peacefully. I was my mother's advocate trying everything possible to help my mother with begging RI Hospital to let her acupuncturist come in to treat her, trying to get a team of different doctors even from Boston to come together and figure out a new plan of treatment, etc. with no avail. When Dr. J spoke to my father and I about basically ending my mother's life because of her hopeless condition, I said we can't make a decision this very second. I said to Dr. J, "My father has been married to my mother for 56 years and this is very difficult for him." Dr. J looked right into my father's eyes and said, And there won't be a 57th." My father's head went down and I wanted to cry. That had to be the cruelest thing I have ever heard from a doctor. How cold Dr. J was to say that. I am extremely disappointed with Dr. Jeyapalan as my mother's oncologist. I would never recommend her to anyone as you will be just a number to her as my mother was. Sadly, my mother passed away recently and my family is full of grief.

Dr. J has moved to RI now which is our loss in MA but their gain. She is a fantastic Dr. and an even better human being. When she transferred my case to neurosurgery, she still came to visit me in the hospital, just to say hello. When I was getting sicker and sicker after surgery, it was Dr. J, not the doctor who was actually responsible for my care, who spent the time with me and my family and figured out what the problem was. Her caring, listening, and going the extra mile saved me from an unnecessary surgery at the very least. She is also hysterically funny. RI is lucky to get her.

Experienced, learned, scientific but also very human. I highly recommend Dr. Jeyapalan. My experience: she gave an accurate diagnosis on my initial evaluation (history and neuro test). She is honest, considerate, patient oriented, efficient and very proactive. I feel she went above and beyond to communicate with me, even called me back personally just after having an appt with her to further discuss my eval. Very assured in her care.

Dr J spent time explaining and answering all our questions. She is very friendly and down to earth.