When Amy Crisp from Norcross, Georgia, first met Dr. Guilherme Cantuaria in 2016, she had no idea how central he and the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute team would become in her life. After abnormal bleeding disrupted her ability to teach, a hysterectomy revealed stage 1 endometrial cancer.
“The surgery was thought to have been curative, so follow-up chemotherapy and radiation were not needed,” Amy said.
However, she continued to see Dr. Cantuaria over the next couple of years, gradually dropping off and allowing herself to forget about her brush with cancer completely.
Fast forward five years.
In March 2021, Amy again began having abdominal pain. She went to her general practitioner, who ordered a CT scan, but all “appeared” to be clear, and her abdominal pain subsided again. So over the next few months, she forgot all about it … until she couldn’t any longer.
“In February 2022, I was having dinner with a friend and started having intense abdominal pain, which only increased as the evening progressed,” Amy said.
That night, as she got in bed, the pain increased to some of the worst Amy had ever felt.
“I remember giving myself a deadline; if the pain had not diminished after a couple of hours, I was headed to the emergency room,” she said. However, as if by wishing it so, the pain dissipated somewhat as the hours progressed.
But throughout the weekend, she continued to experience varying degrees of abdominal discomfort and finally decided to go back to her doctor. Another CT was ordered, but Amy said things were different this time.
“When my doctor called at 5:00 on the evening of Feb. 22, 2022, a date frozen in my mind, her voice was grim when she informed me that a mass had been discovered in my abdomen, and it looked to be quite large. I was too shocked to cry.”
Back under the care of Dr. Cantuaria, Amy underwent open abdominal surgery on March 14. During the surgery, Dr. Cantuaria was able to remove all of the visible mass, and pathology determined that the tumor was, indeed, recurrent endometrial cancer, which had been pressing on Amy’s colon and causing the intense abdominal pain.
The following weeks were a blur of recovery, worry and hard choices.
“Although this was a scary and uncertain time, being at the Women's Center at Northside for my recovery was a silver lining,” Amy said. “Truly, the nurses there were so kind; specifically, I remember Abby, who always stayed well beyond her shift to ensure that her patients were well taken care of, and Beth, Dr. Cantuaria's physician's assistant, who stopped by each day to check on how I was healing from surgery.”
Amy remembered Dr. Cantuaria stopping by the day after her surgery. It was in the evening, and although she could see he was exhausted from a long day of seeing patients, Amy said he took time with her.
“He sat on the chair beside my hospital bed and told me to ask him any question that I had, and he would do his best to answer … he wanted to address all my concerns,” Amy said. “I will never forget that moment.”
Amy said Dr. Cantuaria specifically told her about a clinical trial (NRG-GY018) that he thought would be perfect for her — a study offering a 50/50 chance of receiving immunotherapy (Keytruda) alongside standard chemotherapy.
“Dr. Cantuaria explained that chemotherapy attacks fast-dividing cells, and my tumor was more slow-growing,” Amy said. “He wasn’t sure how effective chemo alone would be.”
After intense research and soul-searching, Amy joined the trial.
In 2022, this trial was the only way endometrial cancer patients could access immunotherapy as a first-line treatment. Typically, immunotherapy was provided only after chemotherapy and only if the cancer returned.
“The following day, the research nurse, Kristin Sieverding (who has since become my main contact and my “go to” person through my treatment journey), stopped by my hospital room with documentation that explained the trial,” Amy said.
Amy would receive either a placebo or Keytruda. It was a double-blind study, so neither she nor her health care team knew which she was getting. After receiving the research drug, she also received two chemotherapy drugs (paclitaxel and carboplatin) intravenously through a port.
“I felt like I was hanging on to the caboose of a fast-moving train,” Amy said.
But support came from all sides — especially her sister, infusion nurses and research nurse Kristin.
“They made each person feel seen and cared for,” Amy recalled. “It’s strange to say, but I almost looked forward to going to the Infusion Center.”
Amy began infusion treatments at Northside in April 2022: three months of infusions every three weeks, a grueling but manageable process thanks to her care team and pre-treatment meds.
“Chemotherapy was exhausting at times,” she said. “Despite cool-capping, I did lose quite a bit of hair … but I never felt the nausea I expected.”
In February 2023, she learned the blind study had been unblinded.
“Kristin and Betsy could barely contain their excitement … I had been among the fifty percent who had been receiving Keytruda!”
That same trial helped make immunotherapy a first-line treatment for others with endometrial cancer.
But the journey didn’t end there. In early 2024, Amy developed Type I diabetes — a rare but known side effect of immunotherapy.
“It was scary, but my research team reminded me that an adverse event might signal a strong immune response — possibly reducing the chance of recurrence.”
Now back to teaching full-time and traveling with her sister and friends, Amy reflects on what got her through.
“Often, the element that knocks out a contestant or a cancer patient is the mental aspect of the journey,” she said. “The support team is everything.
“When I look back on my journey, it is the people who stand out, not the diagnosis or the treatment.”
There is a quote from spiritual teacher Ram Dass that Amy said resonated with her throughout her cancer journey — “We all are just walking each other home.”
“We are all on our own journeys, and we never know what any person is going through just by looking at them from the outside,” Amy said. “The love and support that we show to others is vital and is what gets us through these difficult times in life because none of us lives forever.
“We’re all just walking each other home.”
Learn more about cancer clinical trials at Northside Hospital.
*The health story shared here is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Patients should consult with their own physician before making medical decisions.
Picutred above: In May 2024, Amy (left) and her sister riding camels in Tangier, Morocco. Top right: On Mother's Day in 2022, Amy (far right), a few weeks after starting chemotherapy, with her nephews, sister and mom. Bottom right: In November 2022, Amy at the Northside infusion center, post-chemotherapy, receiving immunotherapy.
