The Saracini Family’s Own Miracle on 34th Street

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the world became a very different place. For Ellen Saracini and her daughters, the events changed the course of their lives forever. Ellen’s husband Victor Saracini was the pilot of United Airlines Flight 175, the plane that flew into the second tower of the World Trade Center.

After that day, Ellen’s priority was helping her family heal, not her own personal health and well-being, and she went 10 years without an annual gynecologic exam.

It wasn’t until a close friend was diagnosed with breast cancer that she was inspired to regain control of her personal health. Ellen watched her friend struggle through her treatments and promised that she would schedule her gynecology appointment in her honor. While Ellen’s mammogram came back normal, her pap test did not, and further biopsy showed pre-cancerous cells in her cervix.

When thinking of where she would receive surgical expertise to treat her cancer, the only place she thought of was Penn. “I wanted to fight this cancer with all I had. My family has already experienced so much loss, and I knew I needed to see the best – the best was at the Abramson Cancer Center.”

Ellen found herself in the hands of gynecologic oncologist, Janos L. Tanyi, MD, PhD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, and immediately felt comfortable. He was responsive and compassionate; he gave her the utmost confidence when he said “I am going to get you cancer free.” And, Dr. Tanyi stayed true to his word.

Ellen’s surgical procedure did in fact show that she had cervical cancer, and Dr. Tanyi performed a radical hysterectomy. When she went in for follow up scans, what Ellen remembers most vividly was hearing the words, “cancer free.” After losing her husband, Ellen was extremely grateful her daughters wouldn’t have to fear losing their mother as well.

Little did she know, she was about to be faced with the prospect of losing her daughter.

In 2013, Ellen’s daughter graduated from Boston College and started her first job. Shortly thereafter, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Ellen and her family again found themselves at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center. After eight rounds of chemotherapy, Ellen’s daughter also heard the words, “cancer free.”

For those unfamiliar with the geography of Penn Medicine, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, home of the Abramson Cancer Center, are located along 34th Street. After celebrating her own cancer-free diagnosis, and then hearing of her daughter’s, Ellen said this holiday season she and her family are celebrating their own, “Miracle on 34th Street!”

The message that Ellen wants to convey to others through her story is the importance of paying attention to one’s health. If she hadn’t gone in for her screenings, she may have caught her cervical cancer much later when it possibly wasn’t curable or when she may have needed a much different therapy strategy.

“It is important to take care of yourself – if not for you – then for your family, Ellen said. “Early detection and screening mechanisms saved my life, and gave my girls more time with their mother.”

For more information on how to support gynecological cancer research and patient care please contact Laura Ferraiolo by email lferr@upenn.edu or phone (215) 746-2948, or click here to make a gift.