A Year to Live — and a Lifetime to Inspire
- Abdominal Cancers Alliance
- Aug 4
- 1 min read
When Sonja Walker went to the hospital in 2008 with what she thought was a simple pain in her side, she never imagined she’d leave with a diagnosis that would change her life: a rare and aggressive form of appendix cancer. Doctors told her she likely had just one year to live.
But Sonja refused to give up. With the help of a friend, she connected with Dr. Armando Sardi at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore — one of the nation’s leading experts in cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). This highly specialized treatment removes visible tumors and bathes the abdomen with heated chemotherapy, targeting microscopic cancer cells that remain.
Seventeen years later, Sonja is living proof that there is always hope. Her faith, determination, and access to expert care turned what seemed like a one-year prognosis into a story of strength and survival.
“God always has a plan that’s greater than we can understand,” Sonja says.
Sonja’s journey reminds us why access to specialized care and timely referrals matter — because for patients with rare abdominal cancers, the right care can make all the difference.
