Heidi Oquist Seeks Life-Saving Treatment at the Mayo Clinic

Doctors first diagnosed Heidi Oquist with cancer one year ago. She won that battle, but the cancer has returned and treatments aren't working.

On Tuesday, Heidi and her family traveled across the state, hoping to find new answers in her fight for survival at the Mayo Clinic.

Heidi says fighting cancer is hard on the family, the emotions, and the body, ?It's physically devastating on the body, it's really tough.?

It was May 25, 2004 that Heidi was diagnosed with squamoous cell carcinoma, a rare and sometimes insidious form of cancer.

Despite ultra-aggressive radiation and chemotherapy, Heidi's cancer spread to her liver and lymph nodes.

So, on Tuesday morning, Heidi and her husband Mike traveled to the Mayo Clinic seeking anything that might help.

Heidi says these doctors are her last hope, ?The doctors at where I was treated before said there was nothing more to do chemo-wise, it wasn't working.?

After a little blood work, Heidi and Mike met with an oncologist for three full hours.

After the meeting, they decide Heidi's best hope was a clinical trial involving an as-of-yet unproven new form of chemotherapy.

Mike says they know it?s a gamble, ?It's unknown. It could provide a cure. It might not, that's what we have right now. We have hope.?

Heidi says she?s confident in the procedures put in place to monitor her treatment, ?You have the best treatment. You're monitored real well and you have the potential of helping other people.?

Heidi Oquist has a long history of helping other people, so it?s no surprise she?s thinking of that, even as she fights to stay alive.

Heidi will return to the Mayo Clinic on Wednesday for some baseline tests. Very soon after that, she'll begin taking one new chemotherapy pill a day.

By Mark Daly, KARE 11 News

Check out our KARE family of Web sites:
	takeKARE		Metromix
	Moms Like Me		Minnesota Bound
	Showcase Minnesota