Azra Raza

Discussing "The First Cell, and the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last."

press release: In the spring of 1998, acclaimed oncologist Azra Raza had been treating leukemia patients for nearly two decades. But it wasn’t until her own husband was diagnosed with, and eventually died from, leukemia that she realized how unbearable the disease could be. From the fear of an unexpected lump, through torrential sweats, horrible lesions, and excruciating pain, to his last moments with their young daughter, Dr. Raza bore witness—as so many have—to her husband’s deterioration at the hands of the disease and the drugs used to treat it. And she did it knowing that his likelihood of survival was close to zero.