Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/750495
torrancememorial.org PULSE | 23 D avid Leveille says Torrance Memorial Medical Center Hunt Cancer Institute's physicians, nurses and support staff "set the gold standard for compassionate service and performance" in cancer treatment. He sets the gold standard in beating the disease. For the past 20 years, Leveille, now 78, has fought multiple cancers. He was first diagnosed with melanoma in 1997; it returned in 2002 and 2005, and again in 2007. At one point, he was told he had weeks to live. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer, as well. Aer beating those cancers, Leveille was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2014, for which he completed treatment in November 2015. His latest test for bladder cancer, in August, came back clear. So this isn't a sob story; in fact, it's the opposite. Leveille's story is of someone who refused to give in to cancer and, together with the oncologists at Torrance Memorial, knocked it out. Along the way he's become something of an expert on cancer treatment from the patient's perspective, assisting others who are fighting the disease to understand their options and get the best care possible. He wrote a book about his experiences called Surviving Cancer: Not Somehow … but Triumphantly. He has helped friends and patients from New York to Texas. "I will get a call, sometimes from their spouse, sometimes from them, or sometimes from their family saying, 'Dave, you have to help. Who can we see in our area?'" Leveille quickly adds, "It's not about me. I've developed a network of people who know what's going on in various parts of the country." Closer to home, Leveille is an active member of the Cancer Support Community. An international nonprofit supported by Torrance Memorial, the organization has a center in Redondo Beach. "Almost 10 years ago, my wife said 'You are going to that group,'" Leveille recalls. "She wouldn't take no, and I wanted a happy wife." Ten years later, Leveille says, "ese are my family. I have become an advocate for several people, and by that I mean I have taken them to hospitals, I have met their oncologists with them, I have held their hands. "I'm fortunate to be alive," he explains. "e cancer support group has been a key player in my dealing with it. At the same time, I'm giving back." A retired administrator in the California State University Office of the Chancellor, Leveille is paying it forward, too, by helping tomorrow's college students navigate the admissions process. Like his support of cancer patients, it's a word-of-mouth affair, for students and parents who aren't familiar with all the steps that lead to college—from high school course selection and preparing for the SATs to writing college essays. Like getting into college, battling cancer is a process, and Leveille is convinced that outlook is half the battle against cancer. "So much of it is attitude and getting to know as much as you can, not only about what you have, but what are the options," he says. In helping others who have been diagnosed with cancer, Leveille knows simply being there can mean a lot. "It's talking with other patients. I've shared with people that a fundamental thing for me has been my faith. Another fundamental thing for me has been my family." And it's having the right attitude. As soon as he was diagnosed with cancer, he said, "We're going to beat that." Leveille received treatment at Torrance Memorial and other facilities in the Southland and says Torrance Memorial's radiation oncolog y program is unmatched. "ere was no one I talked to who had a bad experience at Torrance Memorial. I cannot say enough about them. e caliber of the nurses, the caliber of the medical staff, the caliber of the support staff is unbelievable. When I say I'm fortunate to be alive, that goes not only for medical advances but also for the hands and minds of the doctors, diagnosticians and nurses, and the support staff." He also has praise for Torrance Memorial's donors and supporters. "From my standpoint, particularly my own experience, the South Bay is very fortunate to have what I consider a truly world-class, state-of-the-art advanced facility," especially the new Lundquist Tower. "A big shout-out should go to the Lundquists and the other donors. It's a magnanimous gi. My sense is that Torrance Memorial as it exists today is inconceivable without the largesse of the Lundquists. "In my mind, every day we're on earth—particularly for me—is a gi." Facing stage IV-C melanoma in 2008 and 2009, Leveille underwent clinical trials at e Angeles Clinic and Research Institute in Santa Monica. He recalls telling his doctors, "I will give you my body, you give me 10 years. "I want to see my grandson graduate from high school," he explained. "I need to take care of my wife." His grandson graduated two years ago. When he did, he gave Leveille a framed photo of the two of them, saying, "Papa, we both made it." "I'm being very selfish," Leveille says, "but now I want another five years." His grandson agrees. • H E A RT B E AT S "I'M FORTUNATE TO BE ALIVE. THE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP HAS BEEN A KEY PLAYER IN MY DEALING WITH IT. AT THE SAME TIME, I'M GIVING BACK."