40 SEENA MAGOWITZ FOUNDATION TONY SUBIA | CONTRI BUTI NG WRITER JUAN BURTON-FLORES An Amazingly Inspirational Warrior Story Legacy Heroes

SEENA MAGOWITZ FOUNDATION 41 Legacy Heroes JUAN BURTON-FLORES’ STORY In early May 2017, Juan Burton-Flores, a resident of Hermosillo, Mexico, began experiencing discomfort in his abdomen area. When symptoms persisted, he underwent an endoscopy which examined his diges - tive system through an inserted scope. According to his doctor, they did not find a problem and he was given a clean bill of health. Unfortunately this was a misdiagnosis. By the following July, Juan had lost 20 pounds and the symptoms not only continued to persist, but progressively became more intense. He and his wife Geovanna Proto went back to his doctor, who became concerned and ordered an MRI scan. The results would change the couple’s life dramatically. Juan was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. A 9.1 centi - meter tumor was found in the tail end of his pancreas and had adhered to his colon, kidney, and spleen. “The doctor concluded that any treatment would not make a measurable difference and his prognosis was that Juan likely would not survive more than a couple of months,” Geovanna said. But Geovanna and Juan were unwilling to accept that prognosis. They began searching the Internet for credible sources for a second opinion that would give them a more positive outlook. According to Geovan - na, “Our searches for treatment kept leading back to Dr. Daniel Von Hoff of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix. He had the reputation of being among the best pancreatic cancer research oncologists in the world. We learned that Dr. Von Hoff had implemented a clinical trial at the Hon - orHealth Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona. We lived in Hermosillo, Mexico and couldn’t believe that driving to Scottsdale was only about a six-hour trip.” JOURNEY TO ARIZONA By August 2017, Juan and Geovanna had relocated to the Phoenix and Scottsdale area so Juan could begin the clinical trial under the direction of Dr. Von Hoff and and Dr. Erkut Borazanci, another leading pancre - atic cancer researcher with HonorHealth. “At first we were nervous about moving to Arizona and Juan had initially preferred to go to Mexico City for treatment,” Geovanna said. “But when we got to Scottsdale, everyone on our HonorHealth treatment team were so wonderful to us. They became like an extended family.” At the clinical trial, the chemotherapy treatment regimen included a combination of five drugs which included Abraxane, Gemcitabine, Cisplatin, Paricalcitol (a synthetic form of Vitamin D) and Nivolumab (an im - munotherapy drug). The clinical trial was nick-named “The Grand Slam.” “Juan would be so exhausted after a 12-hour session of chemo, but we were so happy to be there because of all the love we felt made it so enjoyable,” Geovanna said. During the course of his treatment, Juan and Geovan - na came to know about the Seena Magowitz Founda - tion. Juan and Geovanna also learned about the Foun - dation’s ongoing fundraising, which provides funding for pancreatic cancer research by Dr. Von Hoff. “When we heard about all the work Roger does, we were so impressed,” Geovanna said. “Here his mom passed away in 2001 and he’s still so devoted to the cause of finding a cure for pancreatic cancer. These are the things that lift us up. If Roger continues to fight on behalf of us and all pancreatic cancer pa - tients, we have to conjure-up the spirit to fight like warriors. We can’t give up.” JUAN BURTON-FLORES UNEXPECTEDLY PASSED AWAY AUGUST 29, 2019. HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 4 PANCREATIC CANCER IN JULY 2017. HIS ORIGINAL PROGNOSIS GAVE HIM ONLY A COUPLE OF MONTHS TO LIVE. HE DEFIED THE ODDS AND LIVED FOR TWO YEARS.