"Dr. Kutikov made sure I understood his experience with this operation, that he’d performed it many times and even trains other surgeons to do it. His forthrightness and confidence were what ultimately encouraged me to move forward."‐Monique Shaw
I am 42 years old and live in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, with my husband and our two daughters. I came to Philly from Detroit for graduate school at Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health, met my husband the week I arrived, and never left. That was nearly 20 years ago. Today, I work as a Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
A Shocking Diagnosis
I’ve always been healthy. My biggest medical event before my cancer diagnosis was removing a small cyst from my wrist! So, in February 2025, when I noticed blood in my urine, I initially assumed my menstrual cycle had started early. It persisted with a tampon in, so I went to the local emergency room where they diagnosed a urinary tract infection — a UTI — and sent me home with an antibiotic.
However, UTIs aren’t normal for me, so I went to see my primary care provider. She agreed and ordered an ultrasound. When that came back showing slight kidney inflammation, she referred me to a urologist, who ordered a CT scan and performed a cystoscopy — a procedure in which a small camera is passed into the bladder while the patient is awake. When the camera showed the right side of my bladder, we both saw something that was clearly wrong. “I have to be honest with you,” she said. “This is cancer.”
A few days later, she removed the tumor and several weeks after that, I returned for the full diagnosis: small cell carcinoma of the bladder, an aggressive and rare cancer typically found in the lungs or brain. As I was processing the news, the urologist told me she’d already called a specialist at Fox Chase Cancer Center for me. His team reached out that same day, and two days later, I was a Fox Chase patient.
Deciding to Remove My Bladder
When I met with Dr. Alexander Kutikov, a urologic oncologist and Chair of the Department of Urology at Fox Chase, he told me he had already been in contact with Dr. Fern Anari, a medical oncologist, and the rest of my oncology team. Their plan was to first use chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and to then perform a radical cystectomy, which is complete removal of the bladder. Due to the aggressiveness of my cancer, I would start chemotherapy immediately, which Dr. Anari would oversee.
My dad, my mom, and my husband came to nearly every one of my appointments, and everyone had questions. Dr. Kutikov, who is also Co-Executive Director of the Fox Chase - Temple Urologic Institute, answered them all patiently and honestly. I asked more than once whether we really had to take out my bladder. After all, I wasn’t in pain. It was like he was describing something happening to someone else.
Dr. Kutikov said that given the aggressiveness of this cancer and my age and overall health, removing my bladder offered the best chance at a cure. He also shared that while many patients use an external bag to collect urine after their bladder is removed, I had the option for a neobladder — a new bladder that he would create from a portion of my small intestine.
Dr. Kutikov made sure I understood his experience with this operation, that he’d performed it many times and even trains other surgeons to do it. His forthrightness and confidence were what ultimately encouraged me to move forward. I underwent chemotherapy from May through mid-July and then had the surgery, including creation of the neobladder, at the end of August.
When the pathology came back, there was one small cancerous cell remaining in the bladder itself. As hard as it was to hear that there was some cancer left, it confirmed I’d made the right call in agreeing to have my bladder removed.
It Takes a Team
I’d be remiss not to mention at least some of the other people who made my time at Fox Chase easier. There was an amazing nurse on the infusion unit. I didn’t have a port during chemo, which meant every treatment required a nurse to place an IV. Other nurses would try, but eventually we would find this particular nurse, the master of difficult veins. No matter how busy she was, she always took the time to get me set up, and she always got it on her first try.
Another special person was a tall, warm man who was a member of the environmental services team. His attitude and kindness lifted my spirits even on the hardest days. The fact that he did his job so well made me feel cared for. This was really true of the whole staff at Fox Chase.
Where I Am Now
It took about three months after surgery before I felt strong enough to return to daily life. Now I’m back at work full time, traveling, and schlepping my daughters to their sports activities. I’m still building my physical strength and adjusting to life with a neobladder. It was daunting at first, but thanks to resources other neobladder patients have shared, it’s becoming manageable.
When Dr. Kutikov’s team asked if I’d share my story as part of Fox Chase’s annual fundraising 5K with the Phillies on March 21, I said yes, absolutely. There has to be a reason this journey became part of my life. If my story helps even one person feel more informed and less afraid, some of this will have been worth it.
Learn more about treatment for bladder cancer at Fox Chase Cancer Center.