Lockport Union-Sun & Journal Dr. Andrew Cappuccino was finishing a round of golf on Labor Day weekend this year when he got a call from his friend and personal doctor.

The call was to tell to come in for a bone marrow biopsy.

I thought it was a joke at first, Cappuccino said. Within 48 hours I was admitted into the hospital to begin chemotherapy.

Cappuccino was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The orthopedic spine surgeon, known for treating Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett for his cervical spine injury, was thrown for a loop.

Id never been sick a day in my life, Cappuccino said.

Cappuccino and his wife, Helen, had just dropped their youngest of six children off at NYU to begin college. With all of the kids out of the house, Helen told him it was time to get himself a long overdue physical.

Tests showed that two genetic mutations in Cappuccinos red blood cells caused the cancer to proliferate, putting him in a lower percentile to be cured. Luckily, one of the Lockport surgeons brothers was a perfect match for bone marrow stem cells.

After 5 and a half months of treatments at Roswell Park, theres an 80 percent chance that Cappuccinos leukemia has been cured.

Cappuccinos wife Helen, a surgical oncologist at Roswell Park, was able to be with him both emotionally and physically throughout his ordeal. Since family members are permitted to stay with Roswell patients, Helens commute to work became much shorter during her husbands hospital stay.

I only had to take the elevator downstairs, Helen said.

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