Joan's Story
- Author: Joan Borino-Lettero
- Category: Gastrointestinal Oncology Program
“ “I’m very thankful that I was placed in Dr. Bhagwandin’s hands … and that he has such wonderful hands,” she says. “He is amazing, and he saved my life.””
After specialists at several Florida hospitals told 77-year-old Joan Borino-Lettero of Delray Beach that they could not identify the cause of her digestive problems and abdominal pain in the spring of 2022, Joan sent test results to her niece, an experienced traveling nurse, for advice.
Her niece’s immediate response: “You need to see Dr. Bhagwandin at Jupiter Medical Center. It looks like a mass.”
In March 2022, Joan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer by Shanel Bhagwandin, DO, medical director of the Jupiter Medical Center’s Gastrointestinal (GI) Surgical Oncology Program and Program Director of its National Pancreas Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence. He is board-certified in general surgery and complex general surgical oncology.
“You know when you feel you’re at the right place at the right time with the right doctor?” says Joan. “When I walked into his office, I felt that my life wasn’t over. When you come through the doors into his office, you really feel safe. I’m very spiritual, and I’m convinced I was led to Dr. Bhagwandin. I just knew that I was going to be healed.”
Even with a history of previous surgeries on her knees, back, spine, and hips, Joan said the decision to undergo complicated surgery two months later (the Whipple procedure) for her cancer was easy.
“I’m a New Yorker, I’ve lived in California, Arizona, all over the country. And there is no place like Jupiter Medical Center,” she explains. “When you walk into that kind of hospital, you already feel secure because of the environment they’ve created. I felt like I was in the Wizard of Oz…the technology, the way the staff speaks to you and treats you. It was like being transported to a different experience. Everybody there knows what they’re doing. They were so gracious and kind. They took away all my fear.”
She credits Dr. Bhagwandin and his team, including gastrointestinal medical oncologist, Boris Naraev, MD, for her successful surgery, recovery, and return to normal activities. She cares for an elderly friend, meditates daily, and adheres to regular follow-up health checks.
“I’m very thankful that I was placed in Dr. Bhagwandin’s hands … and that he has such wonderful hands,” she says. “He is amazing, and he saved my life.”
