NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A man invited us to be in the operating room as he became a milestone patient at Vanderbilt Health for a groundbreaking treatment. He's sharing his story as both a "thank you" and a chance to share a message.
The story starts in the era of cassette tapes, the Walkman, and pins on jean jackets. It was the mid-80s when Aaron Davis first met future wife Kimberly.
"Kim was the only girl in our school that had just the coolest hair!" Aaron laughed.
"Short on one side, long on the other," Kimberly nodded.
"I was in 7th grade, she was in 8th grade, so I had the 8th grade girlfriend!" Aaron said. "So, automatically, I was the cool guy."
"He was trouble," Kimberly said, looking over at Aaron. "He was trouble, but he was nice."
Aaron and Kimberly didn't stay together back then, but life eventually brought them back, and they married.
"We've been together 21 years, so it's been a good story," Aaron said.
Before their visits to Vanderbilt Health began, Aaron was going through night sweats, indigestion, heart burn, and constipation. Back near their home in east Tennessee, he went in for a colonoscopy.
"I made the appointment," Kimberly said. "He went. Then, we knew."
"When I woke up, the doctor was standing there," Aaron remembered. "'Mr. Davis, you have cancer.' Without my wife, I probably would have went septic and never known I had cancer. I would have passed away. It's been a very emotional roller coaster for the past four years."
Aaron and Kimberly began the long trips to Vanderbilt Health, about 175 miles from their home. They've made the trip about 50 times as Aaron is treated for a cancer that spread from his colon to his liver.
Something to know is when Aaron and Kimberly met in the mid-80s, some treatments were just not around that are here for Aaron today.
"This is the HAI pump," Aaron said, showing a small circular device. "I was the 13th patient here at Vanderbilt to receive this. This is under the skin. They access this. It holds two weeks of chemo. Instead of going through your whole body, it's only passing through your liver."
There's something else. Dr. Sekhar Padmanabhan of Vanderbilt explained Aaron is a milestone patient for a new treatment.
"He's actually the 100th histotripsy case that we've performed here at Vanderbilt," Padmanabhan said.
"The histotripsy is a ground-breaking technology, and it was first approved by the FDA in 2023," Aaron said.
"It uses ultrasound waves to non-invasively destroy liver tumors," Padmanabhan continued.
"I have three spots," Aaron said. "It goes in and actually liquifies the tumor. There's no cutting. I will be sedated during the procedure. There's hardly any recovery. From what I understand, you might be sore for two or three days. What gives me confidence is knowing I have one of the best teams in the world. If my story can help one person who sees this get a colonoscopy, maybe come to Vanderbilt, get their life saved, my journey on Earth is worth it."
Before the procedure, Aaron told me those thank yous both to Vanderbilt and to Kimberly.
"She's never left my side the many times and procedures I've been through here," Aaron said. "It's brought our marriage closer together and shown us how much we love each other and need each other. I'm very fortunate to be a recipient."
Those many trips from east Tennessee are expensive for Aaron and Kimberly. If you'd like to help them with those expenses, visit here.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
During a week when it seems that frustration is the prevailing sentiment felt across middle Tennessee amid ongoing power outages, Forrest Sanders brings us a story of love, faithfulness and a remarkable family... plus, a little humor on the side. Enjoy!
- Carrie Sharp
