Bob had just retired after 40 years as an auditor for New Jersey when his life took an unexpected turn. Active and energetic, he was excited to play golf, spend time at the shore, and enjoy life with his wife and family. Then, in 2006, he noticed his legs were swollen and that he had trouble walking. Bob knew something was wrong and that he had to do something about it. An X-ray at his local hospital showed lymphoma, and from that moment, everything changed.
At Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, doctors discovered the lymphoma had caused serious blood clots in both legs. The clots blocked his circulation, leaving him unable to walk. After surgery to clear them, Bob spent ten days bedridden and had to relearn how to walk, starting with a walker and taking small, careful steps down the hallway. Within days of going home, he had his legs back.
It was during that hospital stay that Bob met Dr. Licitra. From the moment he walked into the room, Bob could tell he was a different kind of doctor. “As personalities go, it was just a click.” Dr. Licitra was down-to-earth, easy to talk to, and genuinely interested in Bob as a person, not just as a patient. When Bob looked up his credentials and saw he had trained at MIT, any remaining doubts disappeared. The two bonded quickly over their shared love of sports, and the fact that their kids played at rival schools just a mile apart. A lasting friendship was born before Bob ever left the hospital.
After the blood clots were cleared, Bob started chemotherapy at our East Brunswick infusion center. Every two to three weeks, he would sit in a chair for 4 to 5 hours while nurses administered 5 different medications. The next day, he would return with another injection. The first week of each cycle brought a burst of energy from steroids, followed by fatigue as his blood counts dropped, before the cycle started again. There were some learning moments, like a memorable phone call at three in the morning after Bob ate a big chocolate bar his sister gave him. The doctor on call laughed and gently reminded him about his diet. Bob’s wife, Arlene, went further and encouraged Dr. Licitra to add nutrition support to the practice. Soon after, a nutritionist joined the team. Bob credits this change, in part, to his wife and sees it as a sign that the practice really listens to its patients.
Soon enough, Bob completed his chemotherapy and was cured. For the next twenty years, he lived his life to the fullest. He played golf regularly with his wife, who picked up the sport after seeing how much it helped Bob, and worked his handicap down to 12. He and Marlene traveled to Ireland, Germany, and Hilton Head. They had a house on the water in Tuckerton, with a boat in the backyard, where they spent weekends fishing and crabbing with the kids and neighbors. And for years, they traveled up and down the East Coast following their grandson Jake's baseball career, from his time at Boston College through his years in the minor leagues and a stint with the Washington Nationals.
For nearly twenty years, life was good. In 2022, Bob noticed a lump on his jaw. He called Dr. Licitra, who took one look and recommended radiation. About a year later, another lump showed up on his chest. Again, radiation was the answer, and it worked. By then, Bob felt no panic. He knew exactly who to call and trusted completely that he was in good hands.
A year after that, PET scans revealed lymphoma across the chest. This time, Dr. Licitra wanted to manage Bob's care directly and closely. Bob began a new round of chemotherapy on a 21-day cycle, going to the Robbinsville office for blood work and to the East Brunswick office for infusions, where Dr. Licitra could keep a close eye on him. The ability to move between locations made the demanding schedule far more manageable. Through every visit, Dr. Licitra was the same person he had always been, asking how Bob was doing and treating him like a friend. Bob knew that Dr. Licitra was always a phone call away and could always receive a calm, helpful response on the other end.
Today, Bob’s blood counts are returning to normal. “I’m starting to get my energy back, starting to play golf, and by this summer I should be playing 18 holes.” Looking back on nearly twenty years of care, he says his experience at Astera felt less like a medical visit and more like being part of a family. “Because I trusted in Astera, I was able to get my freedom back, the freedom to walk and start my life again.” That feeling of being known and cared for, he says, made all the difference at every stage of his journey.