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ANOTHER CHANCE FOR MICHAEL

“I never felt like a number.”

Michael Furman was diagnosed with bladder cancer at the age of 45. After trying different treatments and therapies at other medical centers, he eventually landed at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at Columbia, where he enrolled in a clinical trial with Dr James McKiernan.

The trial led to some success, but unfortunately the cancer returned. Michael didn’t need to find another cancer center. Dr. McKiernan and his team at the HICCC stayed with him, performing an ambitious 10-hour bladder removal and reconstruction surgery. The surgery was a success, and Michael left the hospital cancer-free once again…

Until, two years later, when the cancer came back. Once again, Michael turned to Columbia and the HICCC, this time enrolling in an immunotherapy clinical trial, a cutting-edge therapy that uses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer.

For Michael, it’s been a long road with many ups and downs. And even as the road continues, he’s grateful for the care he’s received and the spirit of research that allows clinical trials like his to exist.

Most of all, he’s inspired by the people at Columbia who are dedicated to his wellbeing and the wellbeing of all of those in the cancer community.

AIDEN'S GIFT OF LIFE

"The most important thing I’m going to do in my life, I’m going to do today.”

Aiden Pryluck started turning jaundiced a few days after he was born. His parents Johanna and Michael were told it wasn’t a big deal, but something inside told them differently. A few months later they were sitting in front of Dr. Mercedes Martinez at Columbia, learning that Aiden had biliary atresia and that the best course of action was a liver transplant. Within moments, Michael stepped up and volunteered to be the donor. 

The day of the operation, Michael recalls knowing that he would never do anything more important in his life than what he was about to do—donate part of his liver to save his son’s life. Fortunately, the transplant was a complete success. Father and son both came through without complications.  

Aiden is three now. He has no idea that he received a liver transplant, and nobody who sees him would ever have reason to guess. As they watch him grow and play with his older sister, Johanna and Michael are continually grateful to Dr. Martinez and her transplant team at Columbia for giving Aiden the greatest possible gift—his life.