4 min
Falling in Love With Oncology | Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation Your Stories: Conquering Cancer
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- Relationships
Cancer, a love story? Dr. Enrique Soto “fell in love” with geriatric patients and married it with his other passion: oncology. He speaks to his wife and colleague Yanin Chavarri about how patients (and the research partner he would eventually wed) inspire his work. Dr. Soto is the recipient of three Conquer Cancer grants and is a generous donor.
Enrique Soto, a geriatric oncologist from Mexico, speaks to his wife and colleague, Yanin Chavarri, about what drew him to his field. Dr. Soto shares how the joy of his practice comes from the wisdom he garners from his patients. Dr. Soto's commitment to research solidified upon meeting his soon to be wife, Yanin, during his early years in research.
He is the recipient of three grants funded by the Conquer Cancer Foundation and is a generous donor to the organization. Dr. Soto begins the segment by sharing what motivated him to focus on oncology.
We all get into medicine to help people. Some do it more than others. But I think I just saw working with patients with cancer as a great opportunity to actually do something good for people and for the world in general, as romantic as it may sound.
I know that you are also interested in other patients. Can you tell me about that interest?
My main interest is geriatric oncology, so cancer in people 65 and older. This started because, in my second year of fellowship, I had the fortune of being assigned to a geriatric sector in which all the patients were over 65. And it was such an incredible experience. It really changed the way I saw medicine.
And I fell in love with geriatrics. So it was a great opportunity to meld two things that I really love, oncology and geriatrics. One of the things I like the most about older patients is that they all have stories to tell. They all have experiences that they want to share with you.
So it's not only a great opportunity to help them with their disease, but also a great opportunity to learn about them, to learn from them, and to use those teachings and that knowledge and that wisdom for your own life and for your own experiences, not only in work, but in life in general.
Do you have any specific story with a patient?
I had a patient who brought in an entire cooked hen. This patient lived in a small village. And she cooked the one of her hens, a big chicken, and brought it to us in the clinic.
But I think that the best stories are those of patients who become part of your life. And you become part of their life. They call you when they feel bad, even if it's not related to their cancer. They call you when other family members are feeling bad.
As you well know, I usually work in Mexico. But now I'm living in the United States for a year. And I've had patients send me, like, photos of themselves when they go to clinic and they see other physicians who are not me. Like, taking selfies with the other physicians to show me that they are there, that they're feeling great, telling me that they miss me. Those patients' stories, as simple as they may seem, just sending me a selfie, it makes everything worthwhile.
What inspired you to start doing research?
It's not what, but who-- the patients, finding solutions for the patients. And also, you are one of the people who inspired me to start doing research. Because the first research work I did was working with you. That was my first inspiration to do research.
If I have to thank oncology and research for something is that it was an opportunity to meet you and to marry you. So what else would one want, you know?
What's next for you? Next is going back to Mexico, trying to bring some of the things that I've learned back to my country. And to continue helping patients and creating new solutions and trying to improve the way people with cancer live, a life long goal.
The Conquer Cancer Foundation's mission is to conquer cancer worldwide by funding breakthrough research and sharing cutting edge knowledge. To learn more
Cancer, a love story? Dr. Enrique Soto “fell in love” with geriatric patients and married it with his other passion: oncology. He speaks to his wife and colleague Yanin Chavarri about how patients (and the research partner he would eventually wed) inspire his work. Dr. Soto is the recipient of three Conquer Cancer grants and is a generous donor.
Enrique Soto, a geriatric oncologist from Mexico, speaks to his wife and colleague, Yanin Chavarri, about what drew him to his field. Dr. Soto shares how the joy of his practice comes from the wisdom he garners from his patients. Dr. Soto's commitment to research solidified upon meeting his soon to be wife, Yanin, during his early years in research.
He is the recipient of three grants funded by the Conquer Cancer Foundation and is a generous donor to the organization. Dr. Soto begins the segment by sharing what motivated him to focus on oncology.
We all get into medicine to help people. Some do it more than others. But I think I just saw working with patients with cancer as a great opportunity to actually do something good for people and for the world in general, as romantic as it may sound.
I know that you are also interested in other patients. Can you tell me about that interest?
My main interest is geriatric oncology, so cancer in people 65 and older. This started because, in my second year of fellowship, I had the fortune of being assigned to a geriatric sector in which all the patients were over 65. And it was such an incredible experience. It really changed the way I saw medicine.
And I fell in love with geriatrics. So it was a great opportunity to meld two things that I really love, oncology and geriatrics. One of the things I like the most about older patients is that they all have stories to tell. They all have experiences that they want to share with you.
So it's not only a great opportunity to help them with their disease, but also a great opportunity to learn about them, to learn from them, and to use those teachings and that knowledge and that wisdom for your own life and for your own experiences, not only in work, but in life in general.
Do you have any specific story with a patient?
I had a patient who brought in an entire cooked hen. This patient lived in a small village. And she cooked the one of her hens, a big chicken, and brought it to us in the clinic.
But I think that the best stories are those of patients who become part of your life. And you become part of their life. They call you when they feel bad, even if it's not related to their cancer. They call you when other family members are feeling bad.
As you well know, I usually work in Mexico. But now I'm living in the United States for a year. And I've had patients send me, like, photos of themselves when they go to clinic and they see other physicians who are not me. Like, taking selfies with the other physicians to show me that they are there, that they're feeling great, telling me that they miss me. Those patients' stories, as simple as they may seem, just sending me a selfie, it makes everything worthwhile.
What inspired you to start doing research?
It's not what, but who-- the patients, finding solutions for the patients. And also, you are one of the people who inspired me to start doing research. Because the first research work I did was working with you. That was my first inspiration to do research.
If I have to thank oncology and research for something is that it was an opportunity to meet you and to marry you. So what else would one want, you know?
What's next for you? Next is going back to Mexico, trying to bring some of the things that I've learned back to my country. And to continue helping patients and creating new solutions and trying to improve the way people with cancer live, a life long goal.
The Conquer Cancer Foundation's mission is to conquer cancer worldwide by funding breakthrough research and sharing cutting edge knowledge. To learn more
4 min