TriHealth Cancer & Heart Teams Work Together to Give Charles New Lease on Life

Watch Charles share his story

“I realized right away that I was at the right place.”

Charles Cerino has had a long-time relationship with TriHealth, and Good Samaritan Hospital in particular.

“I served two terms as a hospital trustee with Good Samaritan Hospital right before the merger with TriHealth,” he reminisced. “But I never actually had any procedures there.”

That all changed for Charles about two years ago, when a mass was found on his pancreas after a routine follow-up ordered by his primary care physician. About six months later, Charles was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“I had just about everything I think you can have,” Charles said about the intensity of his treatment plan. “I started off with 36 infusions, 28 radiation treatments, and then I had surgery to remove the back half of my pancreas.”

Although his surgery went over very well, Charles would receive more concerning news during the recovery period – this time regarding a heart murmur diagnosed a decade earlier that was previously considered minor and being managed.

Charles then repeated the news he received from the hospitalist in the immediate recovery period of his cancer surgery: “It’s not minor any longer – it’s severe.”

Two weeks after his cancer surgery, Charles was back – this time, for an aortic valve replacement.

“Again, excellent results,” Charles said. “In 30 hours I was in and out, and just very pleased with the outcome.”

Around two years after the procedure, Charles still feels good about it.

“As I sit here today,” he said. “I would never even know I had that done.”

Charles’ comprehensive care was a byproduct of collaborative efforts between the TriHealth Cancer & Blood Institute and the TriHealth Heart & Vascular Institute, who regularly work together to create unique, multidisciplinary approaches to patient care.

“The coordination between the Heart Institute and the Cancer Institute was just incredible,” he mentioned. “Today I understand the hospital from a patient’s perspective, which I never really did before.”

What made the biggest difference in Charles’ experience? According to him, it was the people.

“Everyone here has treated me with respect, with kindness, with good senses of humor,” he said. “It made it much easier from my perspective.”

He continued: “Everybody – from the man that parks the car down three floors from here has just been so welcoming.”

Charles is excited to continue spending time with his family and enjoying the things he loves in his retirement – and that he’s glad he didn’t do anything differently.

“We would’ve been living in another city if I chose one of the hospitals with name recognition in Columbus or Cleveland,” he mentioned. “But I’m very pleased that I chose Good Sam.”