Seema Patel
December 10, 2014 – the day that changed Seema’s life forever. Exhausted by 2 months of increasing cough and no answers from doctor, we went to the ER determined not to leave until we knew the cause of all this discomfort. CT scan found a tumor in her Abdomen.
Two weeks later after biopsy when her doctor called and told us that she had a malignant tumor and it was stage-4 Clear Cell Sarcoma, our heart dropped and tears fearfully ran down our face. The land slipped from under my feet. I have never felt fear so strong and alive in my body.
With sleepless nights, We started her treatment from Dec 17, 2014, at MSK with Standard, Targeted and Immune therapy at last. Got similar multiple opinions from MD Anderson, TX and Johns Hopkins, MD.
Sarcomas are rare—very rare—comprising only one percent of all diagnosed cancers in adults each year.
Why only her? Sarcomas follow no rhyme or reason. They don’t discriminate as to age, sex, race, nor how healthy your lifestyle. They just exist (more than 50 sub-types) and they are all horrible.
Because of their rarity, attracting researchers and raising funds continue to be major issues.
Seema lost her sarcoma fight on Nov 21, 2015.
Seema was born in Aug, 1973 in Gujarat, India and raised in Parsippany, New Jersey. She graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Business Administration in 1996. Her career with the Federal Government spanned 17+ years, supporting both the NTSB and Department of Defense.
She was the eldest of three children born to Sharda Patel and Vitthal Patel and was the beloved wife of Paresh Patel for 17 years. Seema will forever be remembered by her beloved children Esha,14 and Jaisal,10 along with the countless other friends and family whom were blessed to know her.
Seema enjoyed spending her free time with her husband, children, and parents. She touched the lives of many people with her smile and generosity. She never turned down the opportunity to help family and friends in need and was a firm believer in treating others as she would want to be treated.
She will be greatly missed, but will continue to live in our hearts and memories forever.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Seema’s name may be made to: Sarcoma Foundation of America, www.curesarcoma.org.
