She Beat a Grade 4 Brain Tumor. Now She's Back to Running Marathons

Three years after being diagnosed with one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer, Judi Califano is still moving forward — sometimes one treatment at a time, sometimes one mile at a time.

Long before cancer entered her life, the former Miss Myrtle Beach was living what she calls “a very good life.” A wife, mother and longtime South Florida resident, she spent years caring for her family, serving through her church and staying active and healthy. She had even started running marathons and half-marathons.

Then something changed.

“To tell you the truth, I went for a long time not thinking I was having any type of symptoms,” Ms. Califano recalls. “I’ve had migraine headaches my whole life—let me tell you, they’re not for sissies—so I just thought the headaches were normal.”

One day, her husband noticed she was acting strangely. It turned out she had suffered a seizure.

“I went to the hospital,” says Ms. Califano. “They thought I was having a stroke, but it turned out after they did a scan that there was a tumor.”

(Watch now: After treatment for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor, Judi Califano is still moving forward — one treatment at a time, one mile at a time — thanks to the team of experts at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute. Video by Alex Calienes, Gort Productions.)

A Highly Aggressive Brain Tumor

After surgery, the diagnosis was confirmed: a grade 4 glioblastoma, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer.

“It was quite a shock to everybody because I've always been very healthy, I eat healthy, but you never know when you're going to be the one,” she says.

Minesh Mehta, M.D., deputy director and chief of radiation oncology at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute, says glioblastoma is a disease that demands urgent, highly specialized care. Patients often arrive after symptoms such as seizures, headaches, weakness or other neurologic changes lead to imaging.

In Ms. Califano’s case, surgery removed the visible tumor. But with glioblastoma, Dr. Mehta explains, surgery is only the beginning.

“Even though these tumors are easily resected, by their very nature they are infiltrative,” he explains. “They leave behind microscopic roots, microscopic tumor deposits. Therefore, surgery alone is not the standard of care for glioblastomas — more therapy is needed.”

Sadness, Not Fear

Ms. Califano remembers the emotional weight of the diagnosis clearly. For her, the deepest pain was not fear for herself. It was concern for the people she loves.

“I felt not so much fear because I’m not afraid of death. “I'm a Christian and I have a very strong belief that I know where I'm going,” she says. “But I felt sad, and I felt sad for my family.” 

She thought, too, about all the special moments she might miss.

“I really thought I didn’t have much time left,” she admits. “I really felt like, ‘Wow, my kids, I won’t be able to see them get married and have kids.’ There were also so many things I thought about that we’d always done. And I said, ‘Oh, I’ll never be able to do that again.’”

But with her mother-in-law’s urging, Ms. Califano’s resolve began to take shape.

“She told me, ‘You need to fight, you need to fight,’” she says. “And I said, ‘Okay, that’s what I’m going to do.’”

Dr. Mehta remembers that determination. From the beginning, he says, she made it clear that she wouldn’t allow the diagnosis to define the rest of her life.

“She had made up her mind that she was not going to be someone who would sit back and let the tumor take control,” Dr. Mehta says.

Choosing Expert Care

Ms. Califano had surgery to remove her tumor at another hospital closer to home in Boca Raton. But she would now need radiation therapy and oral chemotherapy — the standard backbone of treatment for glioblastoma. Her husband, Jerry, was determined to find the very best possible care for a devastating diagnosis.

“My husband was very, very, very intent on making sure that I got the best treatment that he could obtain for me,” Ms. Califano says. She eventually was referred to Dr. Mehta at Wertheim Cancer Institute.

Dr. Mehta understood that she and her family were seeking options beyond the ordinary.

“We knew what the standard of care therapy was, and we knew we could deliver that,” he says. “But we also knew that we had to do more than that for her.”

That meant considering whether she might qualify for a clinical trial or treatment protocol that could add to the standard approach.

Thirty Days of Commuting for Treatment

Ms. Califano’s treatment began with intensity modulated radiotherapy, an advanced technique that shapes radiation to the target area while reducing unnecessary exposure to healthy brain tissue.

The plan required 30 treatments, about an hour or so each, which meant driving from Boca Raton to Wertheim Cancer Institute every weekday for six weeks.

“The worst part wasn’t my treatments, it was having to drive back and forth,” Ms. Califano says. “But I have my wonderful husband for that who does the driving.”

The commitment stood out to Dr. Mehta.

“Coming here to get her treatments was a bit of a drive and an inconvenience for them,” he acknowledges. “But this is something she was willing to commit to because she was committed right from the very beginning to fight this tumor.”

More Than Just Medical Care

The treatment was demanding, but Ms. Califano says the people at Wertheim Cancer Institute changed the experience.

“I don’t dread going to the hospital when I come to Wertheim Cancer Institute because the people are just so awesome,” she says. “They care. I almost look forward to seeing them because they just make it so much better.”

Her radiation treatments required her to wear a mesh mask to keep her head still, something that felt intimidating at first. But the radiation team helped ease that fear.

Ms. Califano says the side effects from the radiation therapy were not that bad. “I lost some hair on both sides of my head, but that was about it,” she says.

A Team Approach

At Wertheim Cancer Institute, Dr. Mehta says, that care is part of a larger team approach. Glioblastoma requires collaboration among radiation oncologists, neuro-oncologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists, pathologists, supportive care specialists and others.

“This is truly teamwork,” he says. “It takes an expert neurosurgeon, an expert neuro-oncologist, an expert radiation oncologist. They are all intimately involved in the care of patients. In Judy's case, we had a team such as this and several of my colleagues played a remarkable role in her recovery and continued survival.”

Clinical Trials Especially Important

After completing her radiation and chemotherapy, Ms. Califano enrolled in a clinical trial using a vaccine-based strategy designed to help the immune system recognize and fight the cancer.

For patients with glioblastoma, Dr. Mehta says, clinical trials can be especially important because standard treatment options remain limited.

“Clinical trials are a major tool that we have for our cancer patients, particularly for diseases like glioblastoma and some other very aggressive cancers.”

The trial Ms. Califano joined involved a vaccine strategy aimed at a molecule associated with glioblastoma’s ability to survive and resist therapy. The idea, Dr. Mehta explains, is to stimulate the immune system so it can recognize and attack cells expressing that target.

“These immune cells therefore take the body’s own immune system and use that and deploy it against the tumor,” he says. “And this, if successful, would hold the tumor at bay.” 

Giving Hope to Patients with Advanced Cancer

Ms. Califano says the trial has given her hope.

“I was really blessed to be chosen for a clinical trial,” she says. “I know that it’s not available widespread to a lot of people right now, but it does give me a lot of hope.”

Today, she returns every month or two for treatment and follow-up. Her scans have continued to bring encouraging news.

“I’m feeling good,” Ms. Califano says. “The doctors are saying I’m good. He just showed me my scan and everything’s still clear. Everything’s great and I’m still moving forward.”

Faith, Family and the Strength to Keep Going

Throughout her cancer journey, Ms. Califano says her faith has anchored her.

“I can’t imagine going through my cancer journey without my faith,” she says.

She also found strength in the support of family, friends and a wide circle of people who reached out to encourage her.

“I’ve literally had thousands of people around the world reach out to me through social media and other means to let me know that they’re praying for me,” Ms. Califano says. “This has meant everything to me.”

An Ongoing Battle

Dr. Mehta says the reality of glioblastoma does not simply disappear when initial treatment ends.

“Glioblastoma is a disease that you never get to forget,” he says. “Once you have the diagnosis, it’s a disease that stays with you.”

Patients must continue to undergo MRI scans and monitoring. Symptoms such as seizures, headaches, weakness or speech difficulties may also need to be managed. For Ms. Califano, seizures and headaches were part of that ongoing journey.

“Recovery is a daily event,” Dr. Mehta says. “But each day that you move away from the diagnosis of the tumor is a better day because you’re one day further out and you’re moving in the right direction.”

Running Toward the Finish Line

Long before her diagnosis, Ms. Califano had been a runner. After treatment, she returned to it with new purpose.

“I’ve done three half marathons since my diagnosis and I’m planning to do more,” she says.

Her son, a TV reporter in Palm Beach County, encouraged her to sign up for the Palm Beach half marathon and arranged to feature her inspiring story.

“I said, OK, no pressure,” she says with a laugh. She finished the race and found her family waiting for her at the end.

“There was my whole family at the end waiting for me with flowers and an interview right there on TV,” Ms. Califano says. “It was probably the most exhilarating feeling I’ve had about anything since my cancer.”

Running became more than exercise for her. It became a marker of recovery, determination and hope.

“It gives me a goal for my health and I enjoy doing it,” she says. “When I’m running, I feel like this cancer can’t get me down.”

Drawing Strength and Energy from his Patients

For Dr. Mehta, seeing Ms. Califano doing well has been deeply meaningful. He is especially struck by her return to long-distance running.

“She runs very long distances, something I would be incapable of doing today without a tumor,” Dr. Mehta says, jokingly. “And she does this with a tumor diagnosis.”

Moments like that, he says, stay with physicians.

“Every time I see a patient of mine come back and they’re doing well and the scans look good, it puts a smile on my face,” Dr. Mehta says. “Those positive experiences give us the strength and the energy to go on and come back to work the next day and take care of the other patients.”

Still Moving Forward

After treatment for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor, Judi Califano is still moving forward — one treatment at a time, one mile at a time — thanks to the team of experts at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute

“If anybody finds themselves diagnosed with glioblastoma, this is the place to come,” Ms. Califano says. “It is scary in the beginning. But you do have a sense of hope when you’re down here that you are in the right hands.”

Her journey has included surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, a clinical trial, ongoing scans and countless miles — on the road to Miami and on racecourses she once feared she would never see again.

Ms. Califano knows that crossing a finish line doesn’t mean her cancer journey is over. But three years after the diagnosis that changed everything, she is still showing up — for her family, for her care team, for her faith and for the next race.

“I've completely changed my diet. My exercise habits are way more intense than they were before,” she says. “When I’m running, I feel like God has blessed me with health again. I feel like this cancer can’t get me down.”

Click here for more information about the services and specialists available at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute.