Charlene Ested, of Everett, sat sobbing in a room on the third floor of the Providence Regional Cancer Partnership.

“She was crying in the exam room for almost 10 minutes, but for a very different reason than the usual breakdown after receiving bad news,” said Dr. Zhihong (Julia) Zhang, Charlene’s medical oncologist.

That’s because this time, the news was good. Charlene’s cancer was in remission. “We did it,” Charlene said, as the tears fell that spring day. Charlene wasn’t alone in her tears, nor had she been alone in the hard-fought quest to get into remission.

 “Our joy and tears mixed together,” said Dr. Zhang. “My team and I make every effort to help our patients, and when we get a patient in remission, it’s a big achievement.”

Not only did they, together, achieve this coveted goal, but 63-year-old Charlene is much healthier than when she first met Dr. Zhang as a newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patient. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. It’s not considered curable but can be successfully managed with leading-edge treatment for many years, even decades. In addition to the cancer, Charlene had a lengthy list of health challenges: heart problems, chronic renal failure, lower extremity clots, obesity, circulation issues. She was in a wheelchair because her legs and feet were so swollen it was painful to walk.

Dr. Zhang developed a detailed treatment plan for the cancer that involved chemotherapy injections and immunotherapy pills. Then, she began enlisting the help of other specialists to address each of Charlene’s other medical issues—one by one.

“I want to treat my patient as a whole,” said Dr. Zhang. “That's the philosophy of the whole Providence Regional Cancer Partnership and that's the reason I chose this group to start my career,” says Dr. Zhang, who began working at the Partnership in July of 2020.

In the first year of working with Dr. Zhang, Charlene lost 90 pounds, her kidneys began functioning normally and the swelling in her legs and feet improved enough to get her walking again.

“It makes such a huge difference when you have a doctor who will go the extra mile for you,” said Charlene.