SA STRONG: Local doctor beats cancer, now changing lives of young patients

SAN ANTONIO – A UT Health San Antonio doctor who beat cancer is on a mission to help young cancer patients.

Dr. Greg Aune, UT Health San Antonio Pediatric Oncologist, is recalling his days as a young athlete.

“My sophomore year of high school I was playing a lot of sports. I played football that year," said Dr. Aune.

He was 16-years-old growing up in Eastern Washington State.

“It was a long time ago, now almost 3 decades.”

One day he started to feel something in his chest.

“I had a mass in my neck right about my clavicle for about 9 months. I do remember coughing a lot at certain times. I never thought anything of it at the time.”

However, it only got worse.

“The mass got big really rapidly. About the size of my fist or even bigger.”

He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It’s a cancer that can limit how the body fights off infections.

“I don’t think a day has passed since then that I have haven’t thought about it. it’s just something you take with you forever,” said Dr. Aune.

After a year worth of numerous surgeries and nine weeks of radiation, the chemotherapy end up taking a toll on his body.

“I lost about at least 70 pounds. I had (to have) open heart surgery when I was in my mid 30s. Because of chemotherapy, I had a minor stroke (and) diabetes. “

But the pain and the challenges only empowered him to stay strong.

“What I experienced through the treatment is what really drove me into my career. It’s a blessing and a huge opportunity to be honest. I got a lot of insight in how we treat cancer," explained Dr. Aune.

As a father of four, he understands what it’s like. The local doctor has taken his experience has a cancer survivor to educate families.

“Getting the heart surgery really steered my career in a direction. I wanted to use some of my scientific expertise to study how chemotherapy and radiation damages the heart,” added Dr. Aune.

He now helps young cancer patients as a pediatric oncologist and researcher at UT Health San Antonio.

“A beacon of hope for some of these patients. We have to keep making progress there are still patients getting diagnosed. We still have research that needs to be done,” explained Dr. Aune.

Dr. Aune does his research at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute. It’s the largest pediatric cancer research facility in Texas.

He’s a national advocate on childhood cancer. September is also National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

To learn more about Dr. Aune’s journey and career, click HERE.