Cancer Survivor Reflects on 13 Years of Treatment by Briana Pastorino - City News Group, Inc.
View Upcoming Events View Your Local Sales

Community Calendar

◄ NOVEMBER ►
S M T W T F S
01 02 03 04 05 06 07
08 09 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 01 02 03 04 05
View Events
Submit Events

Cancer Survivor Reflects on 13 Years of Treatment

By Briana Pastorino,
July 12, 2013 at 09:48am. Views: 152

When Diana Bibo’s battle with cancer began in 2000, she underwent chemotherapy treatment in an open room with six infusion chairs and three nurses. Now, thirteen years later, the Redlands resident visits the beautifully designed Loma Linda University Cancer Center (LLUCC) three times a year for blood work where there are multiple infusion chairs, including semi-private chairs and private rooms available for patients. She alone has seven individuals from the Cancer Center on her care team. “It’s beautiful,” she describes. “The center is comfortable, the staff is great, and I really like my team.” Bibo continues her checkups just to “keep an eye on things.” Early this year, the Cancer Center received its third yearly installment of $1 million of the $3 million gift from San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The gift led to the creation of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Oncology Center and Biospecimen Laboratory within Loma Linda University Medical Center. It is this biospecimen laboratory that has been tracking Bibo’s laboratory results, which remain stable, suggesting that her cancer is in remission. “The biospecimen lab allows us to do research that lets us customize treatment and follow-up to a patient’s specific cancer,” says Mark Reeves, MD, PhD, director of LLUCC. “This lab places us in an exclusive network with the National Cancer Institute. We are so thankful to San Manuel Band of Mission Indians for helping us to raise the standard of research and care at Loma Linda.” Bibo was diagnosed with multiple myeloma—a cancer that begins in the white blood cells, which are part of the body’s immune system necessary to protect it from germs and other foreign particles—in October of 2000 after she was referred by her regular doctor in Lake Arrowhead to Loma Linda University Medical Center. She began treatment immediately. A Harrington rod was inserted into her spine to help compensate for the weakness. A stem cell transplant in 2003, however, had little effect, and the cancer returned. She went through chemotherapy many times. “I got to know the staff really well since I was there so often,” Bibo relates. In addition to her medical oncologist, Chien-Shing Chen, MD, PhD, her team includes two pathologists—Jun Wang, MD, and Ted Rowsell, MD; two nurse practitioners—Maria Montero, NP, and Carolee Ross, NP; Teresa Gross, navigator/coordinator, who helped Diana find her way through a complex maze of tests, procedures, and treatments; and mental health specialist Talolo Lepale, MSW. “I feel well cared for at the Cancer Center,” Bibo said. After a total hip replacement in 2011, Bibo halted her ongoing chemotherapy treatments and thankfully never started up again. “My oncologist suggested that I try going off chemo and check back with him every four months or so,” she recalls. “That was almost two years ago.” Bibo currently lives in Redlands with her daughter and granddaughter. Her adult son also lives in town with his family. “I’m so fortunate,” she smiles. “I just knew that God—and Loma Linda—would come through.”

Related Articles

Photo Courtesy of: TME Photography by Titan Mom Elvira

By Titan Mom Elvira, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 396

Athlete of the Week Christopher Michael Lemos, Redlands High School Junior and Varsity Quarterback, proudly represents the Terriers with his dedication, leadership, and passion for the game.

Photo Courtesy of: City News Group

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 583

Redlands Pottery Project joins A.K. Smiley Public Library for a November 14 workshop designed for young artists ages 13 to 18. A lump of clay may not look like much at first. In the hands of a young artist, however, it can become a bowl, a decorative sculpture or an entirely unexpected creation.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.redlands.edu/

By William Cortez, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 1084

The University of Redlands Department of Theatre and Dance will present Día de los Muertos and Other Folk Tales November 5 through 8, 2026. Stories told by grandparents often become treasured parts of a family's history. Some are humorous, others mysterious, and many carry lessons that remain meaningful long after the storyteller is gone.

Photo Courtesy of: UC San Diego's ALERTCalifornia

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 468

A remote wildfire-monitoring camera overlooks a Southern California landscape. Redlands has partnered with UC San Diego's ALERTCalifornia program to improve monitoring of areas near northern Redlands and the Santa Ana River wash.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.akspl.org/events/

By William Cortez, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 814

Annual ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Shrine will bring American history to life on November 21. On a November morning in Redlands, the sounds of fifes, drums and historic artillery will offer residents an opportunity to experience a chapter of American history that continues to influence the nation more than 160 years after the Civil War.

Photo Courtesy of: City News Group

By Stella Pierce, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:18pm. Views: 392

The first years of a child's life are filled with milestones that families often remember forever. A baby's first smile, the first attempt to crawl and the first spoken words are moments of celebration. They can also bring questions, uncertainty and new responsibilities for parents learning how to care for a growing child.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.csusb.edu/

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 473

CSUSB’s Department of Physics and Astronomy has earned recognition for it for its work to create a more inclusive, diverse and supportive physics department, earning the Bronze Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science Physics & Astronomy SEA Change program.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.naco.org/program/operation-green-light-veterans

By William Cortez, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 1102

Operation Green Light returns November 4–11, encouraging residents to recognize military service and help veterans connect with available resources. As darkness settles over San Bernardino during the first week of November, green lights will illuminate several county buildings, transforming familiar government facilities into visible reminders of the sacrifices made by America's military veterans.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.authentikusa.com/

By Amanda Spencer, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 468

As America's most famous highway celebrates its centennial in 2026, San Bernardino reflects on the road that helped shape its neighborhoods, businesses and identity. Long before interstate highways became the preferred routes for cross-country travel, motorists making their way through San Bernardino followed a road that would become one of the most recognizable highways in American history.

Photo Courtesy of: Corina Borsuk and provided courtesy of SBCUSD

By Amanda Spencer, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 375

Muscoy Elementary students join SBCUSD Superintendent Mauricio Arellano, Board of Education President Mayra Ceballos, Assistant Superintendents Dr. Sandra Rodriguez and Dr. Tasha Doizan, Director MaryRone Goodwin and San Bernardino County Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. for the official ribbon cutting ceremony that opened the school’s new outdoor learning center.

Photo Courtesy of: https://riversiderecord.org/; A photo of Moreno Valley City Hall. (Alicia Ramirez/The Riverside Record) Credit: (Photo by Alicia

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

October 27, 2026 at 02:39pm. Views: 680

A city is often judged by what residents experience every day: the condition of its streets, the reliability of public services, the availability of recreational programs and the ease of obtaining information from local government. Behind those everyday experiences are departments and employees whose work rarely attracts national attention.

Photo Courtesy of: TME Photography by Titan Mom Elvira

By Titan Mom Elvira, Community Writer

October 27, 2026 at 02:39pm. Views: 651

Athlete of the Week Zachary Scott Perez, Senior at John W. North High School, is recognized as Athlete of the Week for his dedication and accomplishments as a student athlete.

--> -->