Miguel Ortega went to the emergency room at UI Health after not feeling well for a couple of months. He had lost weight, and his wife noticed he was weak and barely had any energy.
He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in February 2022 at the age of 21. That’s when he met his UI Health oncologist, John (Sean) Quigley, MD, who is part of the University of Illinois Cancer Center.
Miguel opted into a clinical trial, in part, to honor his late father.
“My father passed from his leukemia, but here I am to make the difference and stand in his shoes, in a way, to fight it,” Miguel said.
Just a few months after he was diagnosed, Miguel and his wife welcomed a baby boy. Miguel recalls how, in the months leading up to the child’s birth, his oncologist worked his hardest to get Miguel as healthy as possible so he could see his son be born.
He praises his treatment and care at UI Health, including free transportation for clinical-trial-related visits, because it was one less thing for him and his family to worry about.
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