John Sebastian received care at three major cancer centers during his two year battle with tongue cancer, fortunately with the majority of his care delivered at Memorial Sloan Kettering. He insisted on compassionate care that met his personal goals for care from a health care system that is too often fragmented. He found the true meaning of person-centered care at Memorial Sloan Kettering from the moment he first met Dr. Nancy Lee. 

John and his family experienced the culture of caring and compassion in interacting with each and every staff member at MSK.  John valued interpersonal relationships. John’s fearless and tenacious spirit touched the lives of everyone he met at MSK.  In addition to Dr. Nancy Lee (and her coordinator Sam), John was grateful for the medical care provided by the teams led by Dr. James Fetten (and his coordinator Liz), Dr. Reggie Salvidar (and his nurse Emma), and Dr. Mark Cohen. While there are too many names to mention, he wanted to especially acknowledge Lenny and his team of radiation technicians. He was grateful to the many outstanding nurses in the infusion center, especially Joy and Meredith who have veins named after them in his “vein diary”.

John was an excellent cook and loved food. He also loved to talk and teach. He was grateful to Louise, speech therapist, who recommended using the WaterPik and Joseph Huryn, DDS. Most importantly, Dr. Lee agreed with removal of the PEG tube that was causing John tremendous pain and encouraged John to eat through chemoradiation. John was meticulous with oral care and trismus exercises, many that he created himself, and he was able to eat until his final days. His final meal was aged prime rib, mashed potatoes with roasted garlic & pablano peppers, corn and pistachios. He was able to talk and “hold court” until his peaceful death.

John struggled to understand why he developed an aggressive form of tongue cancer in the absence of risk factors and his attention to a healthy lifestyle since childhood. For that reason, it was his wish to have donations in his memory support tongue cancer research under the direction of Dr. Nancy Lee.