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May 29, 2025
Throat cancer survivor Paula Ruska credits Dr. Laila Gharzai, the radiation oncologist she says saved her life, for providing the holistic care that helped her heal. Gharzai credits Ruska for inspiring her latest study, which aims to improve follow-up care for other survivors.
Both are celebrating National Cancer Survivor Month, which recognizes and honors the more than 18 million cancer survivors living the in the U.S.
In 2022, at age 68, Chicagoan Paula Ruska was diagnosed with throat cancer. The diagnosis left her terrified and overwhelmed. Surgery would have meant losing part of her tongue, and sorting through medical opinions triggered panic. “I just went into a total shutdown panic mode of fear,” Ruska said.
But meeting Dr. Gharzai changed everything. “She was very knowledgeable and not pushy at all,” said Ruska, who chose seven weeks of chemo-radiation over surgery.
“I had my mask made and went into radiation, horrified, thinking, ‘Oh no, I’m not going to live through this, I’ll die of fright.’ But they played music — I chose Bob Marley — and I just imagined I was at a club. I did that every day, five days a week,” Ruska said.
After treatment, the hardest part came: fatigue, swallowing difficulties and constant fear about recurrence. She says what sustained her was the comprehensive care from Gharzai’s team, including nurses and nutritionists.
Ruska says she felt supported on every level. Even through late-night MyChart messages.
“I’d get an immediate response, and that means so much when you’re dealing with cancer. A fear, a question, treatment, food, anything. Someone was always reading my messages, even when I didn’t have a normal sleep schedule because of the meds to prevent nausea from chemotherapy.”
