MD Anderson Cancer Center

We came to MD Anderson full of hope that my 53-year-old mother, who has a rare and aggressive form of cancer, would finally meet a doctor who was knowledgeable, prepared, and compassionate. This was her first time ever flying.

She was nervous but excited, thinking this might finally be the turning point in her fight. Instead, it turned out to be one of the most disheartening and dehumanizing experiences we've had throughout this entire journey. We spent hours uploading her medical records, scans, and test results. We spent weeks on the phone making sure everything was received and reviewed ahead of time.

But when Dr. Larissa Alejandra Meyer walked into the room, she immediately admitted she hadn't reviewed any of it. She didn't know my mom's history. She wasn't familiar with her scans.

She was completely unprepared and showed no interest in catching up. What she did show was coldness, condescension, and a total lack of compassion. She told my mom multiple times to get her affairs in order. When we tried to ask questions, Dr.

Meyer cut my mom off mid-sentence and said, 'Let me finish,' in a tone that was sharp, rude, and completely inappropriate—especially for someone facing a terminal illness. And the most devastating comment of all? She said, 'Cancer and hope don't go together.' That sentence crushed my mom. I watched the light leave her eyes.

We came in hopeful. We left defeated. The only new information we received at that appointment? That the chemotherapy my mom had already gone through was likely the wrong chemo for her specific cancer type.

That should have been the beginning of a deeper conversation about next steps. Instead, Dr. Meyer offered no real options—just more of the same chemo and a cold suggestion to come back if things got worse. No clinical trials.

No treatment plan. No ideas. No hope. All of this could have been shared in a phone call.

Instead, my mom spent over $3,000 she didn't have to fly across the country to be dismissed, interrupted, and told to prepare for death by someone who couldn't even bother to read her file. I don't care how educated or experienced a doctor may be—if they can't treat patients with kindness, respect, and basic human decency, they have no business being in this field.

MD Anderson let us down. They didn't just waste our time and money—they took something from us we may never get back: hope.

Numerous nurses, phlebotomists, and staff members forced their strange religious ideas on me over the course of four years. I complained to my patient advocate, nurse managers, physicians and executive administrators.

It was particularly awful on the inpatient lymphoma floor.

A born-again nutjob around every corner. My complaints were never taken seriously, so I left.

My surgeon, Dr. Akay, changed the surgical plan without telling me how it would affect me.

I was left scarred for life. Her PA is a bully and denied me Home Health care although I had insurance to cover it.

My plastic surgeon, Dr. Villa (nice guy) is a horrible surgeon. He placed a tissue expander in the wrong place.

Then he placed my implants in the wrong place on my chest and one was twice the size of the other. The huge scars were raised and ropey. I was in constant pain.

I went to head of plastic surgery, Dr. Chu (horrible person).

She said she didn't believe I was in pain. She said she would, "Pop the implant out and you can just deal with having only one."

I found a plastic surgeon outside of MDA. She had to revise the entire surgery, remove and place new implants, stitch my sides where Villa had stretched the skin too much (although I asked to be smaller). She left me with surgical scars that are almost invisible and I am no longer in pain.

I appealed to Patient Advocate, Risk Management (lawyers), and the President's office.

I asked that my out-of-pocket expenses for the Villa surgeries be refunded, forgiven, or applied to other bills.

They refused. The told me the care I received (leaving me mangled and in constant pain) was within their standard of care.

My rare liver cancer, GIST, was successfully treated with ablation. A year later, my local oncologist confirmed the nodules on my breast arm and spine was GIST metastasis.

The MD Anderson GIST Specialist, Sarcoma Department, told us "the disease is stable". It was NOT. Soon, I reported severe bone pains. His PA explained: "cancer is eating up your bones".

A physician, I don't know from Proton Department, placed a "Hospice" Referral. An Advocate jumped in to convince me the Referral was a MISTAKE!!!

Not a word from the Specialist. In pain and panic, my local oncologist stepped in with a treatment plan. I filed a complaint and two months later the Advocate sent me a note: "I want to assure you that your experience was shared with the Department handling "these things" and have taken your experience into an "education moment" on how to treat/handle patients!!

A "disgraceful statement" for MD Anderson. Reviewing my tragedy is going on for months, hoping I die soon to bury the problem.

I had a surgical procedure on August 28, 2023 at MD Anderson. During the intubation process an incident involving one of the anesthesiologist resulted in considerable damage to the lower right gum line.

The severity of this damage was such that it affected three teeth. I had to have two gum surgeries due to infection. Also I had to have one pulled and I am awaiting a tooth implant. I notified the nurses during my stay and their response was to gargle with salt water.

And they did not chart it!

After going through the patient advocate provided by MD Anderson to try to get them to pay for my surgeries, they eventually told me NO they would not cover any of it because I signed paperwork and the anesthesiologist claimed that he was not negligent.

So far my out-of-pocket expenses are $5,688.00. My implant will be approximately $6000.00. AND THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE ANY FAULT ON THEIR PART! I don't understand.

What is most distressing about this situation is the apparent lack of communication and transparency following the procedure.

I was not informed of the damage that had been caused to my gum.

The failure of the anesthesiologist to speak with me or notify me of the damage he caused is deeply troubling. It raises serious concerns about the standard of care, professionalism, and accountability within MD Anderson.

Do not trust this hospital! They lie!

They DO NOT care about your loved ones! They are starving my family member. The patient was admitted two days ago with severe protein malnutrition and they haven't fed him yet! He's BEGGING for food!

I asked the nurse to please get food; the nurse said he would have to call the on-call attending doctor, but said he cannot promise that anyone would call back. I wish I had NEVER trusted MD Anderson. Stop at ANY hospital along the way!

There are many hospitals in Houston that can treat cancer patients. DO NOT BELIEVE when you hear they are THE #1 cancer hospital in the country.

I have been treated at MD Anderson for a year for a rare liver cancer. In December of 2023 I lost my job and insurance due to my illness.

I was able to to get Idaho medicaid on Jan 1st of 2024. I was scheduled to have a y90 radiation treatment in January but I had to cancel the appointment because MD Anderson does not have a working relationship with Idaho Medicaid. I have tried calling them several times and they won't even talk to me because I don't have insurance! I have insurance, but MD Anderson will not call medicaid and talk to them.

I am trying to get the information on the clinical trial my dr wants me to do next, but MD Anderson will not even scheduled a pre screening appointment to see if I am eligible for because I don't have insurance!! I have insurance I keep telling them, but they in the insurance clearance department say I do not and I cannot be treated there because of that. My wife and I are super disappointed in the way we are being treated. Seems they are in it for the money and not the patients.

My life is hanging in the balance and it seems that they do not care!! I need the treatments they offer and hopefully I can get them to call me so we can get this medicaid thing worked out very soon!

Part 1

The following is a series of events that lead to my Chronic Kidney Disease, presented by my wife Vivian:

Hello,

We are coming for an evaluation at the amyloidosis center at Boston Medical Center on September 10. We have had records sent and are now sending additional information.

This is a chronology of events prior to Suhail Idriss's diagnosis which may be helpful to you. Could you please include it with previous records sent or faxed to you for his appointment? We will also have the results of all labs done since Suhail was seen at MD Anderson until the latest from mid July.

Suhail had been seeing an integrative medicine practitioner, Dr. John Johnston, in Webster, TX beginning in summer of 2009.

We chose him because Suhail had developed high cholesterol and metabolic syndrome along with high blood pressure, and we did not want to go the usual treatment route. Suhail ate a healthy Mediterranean diet, and we did not understand why his health was declining. He did eat a lot of bread and worked long hours without exercising, so we thought this might be the issue.

Suhail began having protein in his urine, and in 2011 the doctor recommended he see a kidney specialist. Suhail kept it to himself and did not go.

I often went to Suhail's appointments with him, and the doctor never mentioned it. He did put Suhail on a Paleo diet, greatly reducing his carbs. We had always eaten a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains as well as lean meat and fish. We also ate a lot of nuts and healthy fats and oils, but Suhail's cholesterol continued to climb.

The doctor did some specialized testing and found that Suhail was compound heterozygous for the MTHFR mutation and had one copy of the Factor V Leiden.

Suhail was taking methylfolate and methyl B12, a good multi vitamin/mineral, resveratrol, 2 grams of good quality fish oil twice daily, magnesium, curcumin, extra vitamin C, astaxanthin, and baby aspirin. Food was cooked from scratch, and Suhail did not eat junk. He exercised occasionally on the treadmill, but not much changed. We must have eaten at least 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

In October of 2014, Suhail had hernia repair surgery.

Around the same time, the doctor began him on Lisinopril, taking him off of his 10 mg of Norvasc to try to improve his kidney protein, which was still climbing. He did not check him for months, and by that time, his GFR had dropped 20 points. We were really concerned and were looking for answers. We had read a Life Extension article on an ARB, and it talked a lot about the benefits.

We gave a copy to the doctor and asked him what he thought. He said it sounded worth a try and put Suhail on it. Again, he did not monitor him every few weeks. A month or 2 later, his GFR had dropped another 20 points.

By this time, he was spilling massive amounts of protein in his urine. The doctor said it was because of his sugar level, but it was never high, and his blood pressure had also been well controlled. It just did not make sense. Suhail was losing weight and becoming increasingly tired.

The doctor told Suhail to see the kidney specialist.

Before that, he had Suhail have a kidney ultrasound. It showed the kidneys to be normal in size. When Suhail tried to make the appointment, the Kidney specialist was hesitant, saying that he was not sure all necessary tests had been done before he saw him. Suhail also wanted to wait a couple of weeks to see if the ARB improved his kidney function.

When the kidney specialist saw Suhail, he agreed that his blood pressure had been well controlled and that his blood sugar was not elevated.

He believed something else was causing the kidney issues. He believed it might be minimal change disease, and he arranged for Suhail to have a kidney biopsy. We had just closed on our retirement home in Georgetown, TX, and Suhail was set to retire from the Corps of Engineers in May.

The results of the kidney biopsy surprised the doctor. He met with us, told us it was amyloidosis, did not know if Suhail also had multiple myeloma, and handed us a stack of printed material on the disease.

He told us we needed to make an appointment at MD Anderson and left the room. That was that.

We were surprised at how soon Anderson would see us. It was literally the next week. We did days of testing, and the results are included in paperwork that we will bring.

We also had records forwarded to you. Dr. Donna Weber was Suhail's hemotologist/oncologist. She was excellent.

She reviewed all treatment options and their side effects. She began him on Velcade injections once a week with twice weekly Dexamethazone. Suhail went through 2 rounds. She advised that he stop all nutritional supplements, especially curcumin and green tea, since studies had shown that they interfered with the Velcade.

Tests had shown that the amyloid was limited to the kidneys. Looking back, maybe the antioxidants had kept the amyloid under control.

Suhail tolerated the treatment, and his disease responded. It was decided that he was ready to go to stem cell transplant after 2 rounds of chemo.

He was turned over to the stem cell department, and we would not see Dr. Weber again until his follow up once it was over.

Part 2

Dr. Patel was his stem cell doctor.

This department was hectic, crowded, and nothing like the care we had gotten previously. Dr. Patel often told us that they had caught Suhail's disease relatively early and that he was an excellent candidate. Suhail was admitted to the hospital for stem cell mobilization from August 9-August 12.

He handled it very well - much better than they had expected. He did retain some fluid once he was released, and in his follow-up exam, Dr. Patel placed him on 3 days of Lasix + potassium from August 14-16, low dose. On August 21, 2015, Suhail was admitted to the hospital for stem cell transplant.

Dr.

Patel had said that she planned to give him the full dose of Melphalen. Suhail was 4 months away from his 70th birthday, so I was concerned. She was emphatic that he would do well. She did not discuss possible dangers.

We also met with the kidney doctor, Dr. Abudayyeh. Both agreed that he would do well.

On August 22, 2015, Suhail was given the full dose of Melphalen. He packed his mouth with ice chips throughout the infusion and never developed oral mucositis.

He was started on Levonox.

On August 23, Suhail was started on Fluconazole.

August 24 - Day 0. Stem cells infused into Suhail.GFR was 43. Creatinine was 1.5.

August 25 - Day 1. GFR 48, creatinine 1.46.

Started on Levaquin.

August 26 - Day 2. GFR 53, creatinine 1.33.

August 27 - Day 3. Nausea started in early morning. GFR 60, creatinine 1.20.

Started on Compazine.

August 28 - Day 4. GFR 57, creatinine 1.25.

August 29 - Day 5. Vomiting at night. GFR 54, creatinine 1.31.

August 30 - Day 6.

GFR 55, creatinine 1.30. Nausea in morning. In the afternoon, switched to nausea meds every 8 hours.

August 31 - Day 7. GFR 54, creatinine 1.32.

Diarrhea began around 7 a.m.

Sept. 1 - Day 8. Severe diarrhea in early morning hours as well as nausea. As I entered the room, I saw Suhail bright red.

I felt his face and forehead, and he was burning up. Nobody even knew. I told the nurse/aide, and she said, "Good call!" He had a strong fever and was started on Vincomycin. A culture was done for c.

difficile. GFR had dropped to 46, and creatinine had risen to 1.50. He was taken for chest x-ray, and it was clear. The doctor explained nothing.

On one of these days he was also taken for a kidney ultrasound. The results were not discussed with us.

Sept. 2 - Day 9. Fever was down.

Given platelets. Anti diarrheal med increased. Suhail had had 12 diarrhea episodes Tuesday night. Fluids were not increased.

GFR now 40, creatinine 1.71. The culture was negative. Doctors said nothing. Suhail was not producing much urine anymore.

Sept.

3 - Day 10. No fever. Temp 99. Suhail had been up all night with diarrhea.

GFR now 28, creatinine 2.29. Doctor asked how often Suhail had had diarrhea, and the nurse told him. Why hadn't he known before? Doctor said Suhail had engrafted.

He said he was taking him off Nupogen and the antibiotic. He was very quiet and said very little and would not look me in the eye. It was either this day or soon after that Suhail's urine was reddish brown. I told the nurse.

I was helping all the time with Suhail's care, keeping track on the board in the room of his intake and output. He was not getting enough fluids and was not urinating like before. When I told the nurse about the color of his urine, she asked me if I would describe it as amber, and I said, "Yes."

Sept 4 - Day 11. By now, nurses were not looking me in the eye.

Doctors were not communicating. GFR was down to 22, and creatinine was 2.83. For days, Suhail's lips had already been cracked and peeling. His mouth was so dry that he could barely speak.

He was out of his head, talking randomly and senselessly. I told the front desk, and the nurse came in to ask him questions about what day it was, his name, etc... Suhail answered them, but I knew he was not mentally himself.

Sept 5 - Day 12. Our kids came in from out of town.

The first thing they noticed was that their father was not himself mentally. They also were shocked at the severe nausea and diarrhea and how completely dry his mouth was and how his lips were peeling. GFR was now 20, creatinine 3.16. I was very upset.

Doctors told us nothing. At some point, they began to increase fluids. Apparently, the damage was done. I requested several times for the nephrologist to come in for a consult, but she never showed.

We did not see her one time. His stem cell doctor, Dr. Patel, had only stopped by early after transplant in the evening once. Other than that, we did not see her, either.

Suhail had begun with Dr. Basheer as the doctor making rounds.

Sept. 6 - Day 13. Dr.

Popat took over as the rounding doctor.

Suhail's GFR was 20, creatine 3.11. The nausea and diarrhea were continuing and severe.