JP Contreras campaign kick off this Friday

By Gregg Romero Wendorf

For a guy who was once given a “10-days-to-live” diagnosis at a local hospital five years ago, Hidalgo County JP Bobby Contreras, Precinct 2, Place 1, has a lot for which to be thankful as he announces that he will be seeking election to a sixth term in next year’s Democratic primary.
Five years ago at the age of 64, Contreras spent 39 days at a local hospital while physicians tried to diagnose his problem. When one finally did — liver and stomach cancer — he was told that basically, there was no hope.
“I was told to go home and get my affairs in order, because I only had about 10 days left to live,” he said recently, while recounting his long journey back to wellness.
That same day he left the local hospital and flew to Houston and checked in to M.D. Anderson.
Granted, oncology care in the RGV has expanded and improved during the past five years, but when Contreras was diagnosed, M.D. Anderson was the go-to place for many people suffering from severe forms of cancer.
“Since then” said Contreras, the five-year survivability rate for liver and stomach cancers has improved from approximately 29 percent to approximately 69 percent.
“They started me out with an aggressive form of chemotherapy,” he said, “which lasted for nine months. Then it turned into treatment every 21 days, then once a month, once every two months, three months, six months. Now I just voluntarily go to get checked out once a year.”

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