January 23, 2012
Larry’s Story about Overcoming Liver Cancer
By Josh Goldstein
It’s hard to remain positive when you’ve been told you have a terminal condition, but Larry Crawford is used to being in tough spots.
When he was given just six months to live due to liver cancer and his chances for a liver transplant were slim, Larry refused to give up or give in to the impulse of self-pity.
“I am a retired pilot. I flew commercial jets all my life and having flown combat in ‘Nam and being responsible for a lot of people's lives on a daily basis ... my attitude was that I would not succumb to anything,” Larry says.
And at Jefferson University Hospitals, its Liver Tumor Center and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, Larry found an experienced, multidisciplinary team of hepatologists, oncologists and surgeons who specialize in liver disease and, like Larry, refuse to give in.
He remembers how his wife remarked ‘we were told we only have six months’ at his first appointment at Jefferson and how the response ‘for what’ was a “ray of hope that there might be a chance that we could beat this.”
In 2009, Larry underwent a successful liver transplant and is cancer free.
Read Larry’s story: I Can Fight This with Jefferson’s Help.