Michael’s Journey and His Clinical Trial Participation with Dr. de la Fuente – Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
May 31, 2025, 17:59

Michael’s Journey and His Clinical Trial Participation with Dr. de la Fuente – Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center shared a post on LinkedIn:

“In 2018, Michael Atkinson crushed an IRONMAN triathlon in Brazil with a personal record time of 11 hours and 10 minutes. He was feeling healthy after spending nearly half a day swimming, cycling and running. But when Michael returned home to South Florida, something felt off. He described it as an out-of-body experience. ‘I’m sitting at my desk and my arm feels like it’s twice as long,’ he said. ‘It was like nothing I’d felt before.’
Initially told it might be a mini-stroke, Michael’s wife pushed for more answers. A neurologist revealed the real cause: a brain tumor the size of a grape. That diagnosis started a nearly five-year journey that led him to Sylvester. After a complex surgery to remove the tumor, Michael enrolled in an experimental medication trial to prevent its return.
Today, Michael is back in triathlons and chasing a personal goal: competing in an IRONMAN on every continent. ‘There’s only one more continent I need to do to achieve that goal, Asia,’ said Michael, 51, vice president of operations at CompHealth in Fort Lauderdale.
For Brain Cancer Awareness Month, he’s sharing his story to highlight how medical breakthroughs, like those from Dr. Macarena de la Fuente and others, are changing cancer care. If he’d had surgery in 2018, chemotherapy and radiation might have sidelined him. Thanks to leading-edge research, a daily medication keeps his cancer from returning with minimal side effects.
Learn about Michael’s journey at Sylvester and his clinical trial participation with Dr. de la Fuente.”

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Michael's Journey and His Clinical Trial Participation with Dr. de la Fuente - Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

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