{"id":7609,"date":"2017-01-27T12:00:30","date_gmt":"2017-01-27T19:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=7609"},"modified":"2021-09-07T17:57:13","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T23:57:13","slug":"story-may-one-day-save-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/story-may-one-day-save-life\/","title":{"rendered":"A story that may one day save your life"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Josh
Josh Romero, a senior in biochemistry at Colorado State University, works on DNA repair research in the Molecular Genetics building on campus. Photo by Kati Blocker, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As you watch 27-year-old Josh Romero in his college lab conducting research on DNA repair, you\u2019d never know that at 19, he almost flunked out of school. He might share with you his recent prostate cancer discovery or his path to become an oncologist and translational cancer researcher, but you probably wouldn\u2019t realize that it was his own fight with testicular cancer, a job at Walmart and his new family that elevated him to that lab \u2014 and into the medical field.<\/p>\n

Ever since a grade school lesson on the sun, Romero knew he enjoyed science. Then later, a high school advanced placement calculus class proved that he also excelled in math. But Romero was (and still is) a very personable person, and during his earlier years, his social life took precedence over his studies. It was a trend that continued as he attended his hometown University of Northern Colorado following high school. And by his sophomore year, his grades were suffering.<\/p>\n

\u201cI simply was not ready to take on higher education,\u201d Romero said. \u201cAnd I would have failed out of college if it were not for my diagnosis of advanced testicular cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 19 years old, Romero had testicular cancer that had metastasized to his lymph nodes and lung. Seven months before he was diagnosed by a urologist at UCHealth in Greeley, Romero noticed a lump on his testicle, but the lump didn\u2019t bother him, so he ignored it. It wasn\u2019t until he experienced lower back pain so severe he couldn\u2019t lie down that he finally sought medical attention.<\/p>\n

Testicular cancer most commonly affects men ages 20 to 35, but with a timely diagnosis, it is usually very treatable because it responds well to chemotherapy, said Dr. Paul Maroni<\/a>, a surgeon at UCHealth\u2019s University of Colorado Hospital and associate professor at University of Colorado School of Medicine. But the cancer also likes to spread and at a high rate, he added. Romero\u2019s back pain was a result of his cancer spreading.<\/p>\n

Romero underwent his first surgery hours after his diagnosis. Then he started chemotherapy, spending eight hours a day for five days straight having chemotherapy drugs pumped into his bloodstream. He then rested for two weeks. This cycle repeated three more times.<\/p>\n

Romero had never known anyone who had fought cancer before, and he was not prepared for the pain, nausea and other reactions he would have to the treatment. As he stands in the lab where he works, it is clear the experience has remained vivid in his memory and probably always will.<\/p>\n

After chemotherapy, Romero was referred to Anschutz Cancer Center and to Maroni, who would remove residual mass left over from the tumors that had spread. This included making an 18-inch incision down the middle of Romero\u2019s chest and removing a portion of his lung. Including recovery time, Romero had spent about a year battling his cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no desire to return to school,\u201d he said. \u201cI just wanted to be a normal kid again.\u201d<\/p>\n

He got a job at a grocery store and transferred to its warehouse. He started dating his now wife, Vanessa, and they had their first daughter. It was then that he started to wonder where he was going with his life \u2014 and that\u2019s when his high school calculus class graced his thoughts again.<\/p>\n

\"Josh
Josh Romero after his second surgery, which included making an 18-inch incision down the middle of his chest and removing a portion of his lung where his testicular cancer had metastasized. Photo courtesy of Josh Romero.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know where I was headed or what I wanted, but I knew I was selling myself short,\u201d Romero said. \u201cThat math class was always at the back of my mind. I knew I could do more but was choosing not to.\u201d<\/p>\n

He started taking firefighting classes at Aims Community College in Greeley. He thought that firefighters have a nice schedule, and friends and family members who chose firefighting as a career steered him toward an emergency medical technician course. It was there that he started down a medical career path. He had finally realized he was ready to accept the responsibility it would take to get a higher education, he said. He left his full time $20-per-hour job at the warehouse and started working part time in environmental services at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. He continued with school and became a certified nursing assistant, moving to the nurses float pool at MCR.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started realizing my talents and interest were in research and medicine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The education and experience led him to his current job, conducting DNA repair (or what he calls, spontaneous homologous recombination) research on the fourth-floor lab of Colorado State University\u2019s Molecular and Radiological Biosciences building as a senior in biochemistry.<\/p>\n

In spring 2017, Romero will graduate and hopes to pursue a combined M.D.\/Ph.D. through the University of Colorado School of Medicine so he can be an oncologist and conduct translational cancer research. Translational medical research is where the researcher aims to translate lab findings into their medical practice and create meaningful health outcomes. Romero even sees himself working for UCHealth one day.<\/p>\n

\"Josh
Josh Romero, his wife, Vanessa, and their two girls enjoy the CSU game on Nov. 5. Romero, UCHealth oncology patient and CSU student, was honored at the Rams\u2019 football game as part of UCHealth\u2019s Moments to Shine program. Josh\u2019s battle with testicular cancer has inspired his academic and professional goals to become an oncologist and preform translational cancer research, which aims to translate research findings into medical practice and meaningful outcomes. UCHealth photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI like that UCHealth is person-driven,\u201d he said. \u201cThey help people, not just treat illness and call it good. And with their research and innovation, they are really trying to change the landscape of medicine. That\u2019s where I want to be \u2014 up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Romero has already made some impacts in the research field, according to Dr. E. David Crawford, urologic oncologist at UCH, and the head of Urologic Oncology at CU School of Medicine and who worked with Romero during a summer 2016 internship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very proud of the research of this future medical student,\u201d Crawford said. \u201cThis is Nobel Prize material: a urine test to detect significant prostate cancer based on the mapping biopsies and targeted therapy we do. Josh is so motivated, dedicated and intelligent, way beyond his level of education and age. Clearly his experience with cancer had an impact and in a very positive way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI literally owe my life to medicine,\u201d Romero said. \u201cOthers\u2019 work and their fine-tuning saved my life. There is no better way to spend my life than helping others.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As you watch 27-year-old Josh Romero in his college lab conducting research on DNA repair, you\u2019d never know that at 19, he almost flunked out of school. He might share with you his recent prostate cancer discovery or his path to become an oncologist and translational cancer researcher, but you probably wouldn\u2019t realize that it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2164,"featured_media":7615,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[28,174,457,468,6837,4781,263,455],"class_list":["post-7609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-cancer-care-oncology","tag-medical-center-of-the-rockies","tag-mens-health","tag-prostate-cancer","tag-prostate-cancer-treatment","tag-research-in-health-care","tag-university-of-colorado-hospital","tag-university-of-colorado-school-of-medicine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA story that may one day save your life - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As you watch 27-year-old Josh Romero in his college lab conducting research on DNA repair, you\u2019d never know that at 19, he almost flunked out of school. 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