11/18/2025
When Jocelyne, 56, first noticed what she thought was a bug bite on her neck, she didn’t imagine how much her life was about to change. Within two weeks, the small bump had grown to the size of a golf ball. A biopsy confirmed that Jocelyne was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma wrapped around her larynx.
Her primary care doctor recommended that she go to MSK for treatment, where she met with Dr. Loren Scott Michel, a head and neck medical oncologist at MSK Monmouth. Under Dr. Michel’s supervision, Jocelyne began induction chemotherapy, then moved on to 36 radiation treatments and nine rounds of chemotherapy. Dr. Michel guided her through each step with expertise and empathy. “I know with my whole being that without Dr. Michel, I would not have finished the treatments,” says Jocelyne. “He knew how to treat the disease, and he knew how to treat me as a patient.”
In February 2022, Jocelyne had surgery to remove the remainder of her cancer, and in August 2022, she was declared NED (no evidence of disease).
Today, Jocelyne is feeling better and working closely with the physical therapy team at MSK Monmouth. She’s already thriving: “I’m healing, walking on the beach with my new dog, and visiting my daughter,” she shares. “My treatment at MSK was knowing that if I survived, it was simply because I was surrounded by excellence and the kindest of people who are highly skilled at what they do.”
Just last year, Jocelyne was able to experience a big life event: Dancing with her daughter at her wedding. “If you had told me I could have danced all night with my family, I would have told you, ‘You are out of your mind,’ but I did.”
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