A liver cancer survivor puts his trust in BMC

Since being diagnosed with liver cancer in 2016, Tesfa Woldeamanuel has been grateful for the honesty and compassion of his cancer team at BMC and relies on their expertise for specialized cancer care to help beat his cancer. He says this trust has been key in getting the care he needs.

Since 2020, Tesfa has been under the care of oncologist Dr. Hussein Assi. "I really trust Dr. Assi with my care," says Tesfa. "He's very friendly and his communication is clear. Whenever there's a new lab result, Dr. Assi always calls me right away and explains everything."

I always know I can trust Dr. Assi to give me good advice.

Tesfa's journey with liver issues began many years ago. He had been living with chronic hepatitis B back home in Ethiopia, but when he arrived in Boston in 2008, his doctors at BMC took a more proactive approach to his condition.

"Right away, the doctors at BMC told me the levels of hepatitis B virus in my body were very high, and that was bad for my liver," he says. "They gave me a medicine to help fight the virus, and after four months of treatment, the virus was undetectable."

Then, in 2016, Tesfa was hospitalized with pneumonia. An MRI found a liver tumor, and Tesfa learned it was cancer. He was scared, but he trusted BMC to deliver the care he needed.

Now, after undergoing several types of chemotherapy and specialized radiation treatments at BMC, Tesfa’s liver cancer is under control. 

"My most recent MRI showed all the tumors have stopped growing. For now, I need no further treatment for the liver cancer except a close follow-up by Dr. Assi."

Tesfa says his journey hasn’t always been easy, but he has learned to cope with his liver cancer by trusting his healthcare team and following his doctor’s advice. 

"Don't panic if you read something online that sounds scary, just ask your doctor" he says. "I always know I can trust Dr. Assi to give me good advice."