DIAGNOSED with gastric cancer in June 2020, 58-year-old Mr. Keith Murray of Linden was unsure whether he’d live to see another Christmas and spend time with his family.
Now cancer-free following yet another groundbreaking and lifesaving surgery at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in March of this year, Mr. Murray, a construction worker, is excited about reclaiming the time he lost due to his illness.
According to the US-based National Cancer Institute, gastric cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancerous) cells are formed in the lining of the stomach.
Symptoms include indigestion and stomach discomfort or severe pain, and sometimes bleeding, which, in this case, Mr. Murray was experiencing.
“I was losing blood,” he said, “and that’s when I decided to go to the doctor and had a lot of tests. And they found that it was a mass that was the cause of me losing the blood.”
He said that it was whilst receiving treatment at the cancer clinic in Georgetown that he learnt of a surgery that can change his life and take away his pains. With an optimistic mindset, the man noted that he decided to follow up with his doctors and gather more information. In March, a team of surgeons led by General and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon, Dr. Heimraj Ramcharran performed what in medical parlance is called a distal gastrectomy, using the laparoscopic technique.
Speaking further about the procedure, Mr. Murray related that the days leading up to his surgery was no hassle. “I never felt nowhere really, so I left everything to God,” he said, adding: “So I think God was the one carrying me through everything; I never had a bad day or a bad night coming up to the surgery. I feel good; I feel blessed! I would say it was a miracle!”
Mr. Murray said he’ll be taking some time off from work, but is hoping to return within a years’ time. He also noted that he will be spending the Christmas season in good health and faith, and is looking forward to playing with his only grandchild. The man further thanked the doctors who worked assiduously to save his life.
“I thank them, and I would like to tell everybody; not just them,” he said, adding: “I call them a team; they may not be able to give life, but they were surely able to save one.”
During a press conference held at the GPHC on Monday, Dr. Ramcharran explained the procedure.
“We removed the lower half of the stomach, and we joined the small intestines to the remainder of the stomach so as to allow continuity.
And then we were able to remove the lower part of the stomach with the tumor successfully,” he said, adding: “We did all of that through small incisions, instead of making a long incision. The surgery was successful, and we were able to do everything.”
Dr. Ramcharran was trained in laparoscopic surgery while doing a fellowship in Canada, and now looks forward to training other Guyanese doctors in this area.
He noted that 16 local public doctors have already been undergoing the training to make this modernised technique more widespread across Guyana’s public healthcare system.
