To all of my patients, friends, and family,  After practicing for 33 years in healing and helping others through chiropractic, I have not been able to work since April 15th, 2021. That was when I learned that I needed a triple bypass which would occur in May 2021. I thank Dr. Bharat Samy for finding my illness and recommending a great open heart surgeon, Dr. Kummerer at Alexian Brothers Hospital. While thinking I will be back to “bending steel” in no time, my pain had other ideas. My chest pain was lingering for long after the triple bypass surgery which was discovered to be caused from a fractured sternal wires. In May 2022, I had surgery to have these wires removed. The pain was still there, so I started geAtting epidural shots with the great Dr. Ankur Dave. He was able to help relieve some of my pain to allow me to get back to thinking about going back to work in some capacity. I planned on returning in June 2022.

In June 2022, I started having severe teeth pain. This was later diagnosed by Dr. Nishant Agarwal as Stage 3 SCC (squamous cell carcinoma). I was back in the ring again to fight for my life so that I can get back to healing people because that is my true calling. I ended up undergoing a 16 hour surgery at the University of Chicago in October 2022. The UofC team of doctors did a great job and were able to get clean margins. 43 lymph nodes were also removed. Dr. Gooi, reconstructive surgeon, did an outstanding job of a free flap reconstruction by removing my left radial artery and tissue and reattaching it in my mouth where the lesion was removed.

I began my radiation treatments at the end of November 2022. I was fortunate enough to be able to do hybrid radiation treatment with proton therapy at Northwestern Proton Center. I finished my final radiation treatment in January 2023.

Since finishing radiation, I have had reoccurring infections that have caused me to be in and out of the hospital numerous times and undergone several additional surgeries. In July 2023, it was discovered that I had Osteoradionecrosis, a side effect from radiation that sometimes happens. The radiation caused damage to my mandible which was what was causing reoccurring infections and half my mandible to be dead bone.

In September 2023, I underwent another 16 hour extensive surgery at the University of Chicago to remove half of my mandible. Dr. Lawrence Gottlieb was able to take a part of my fibula bone, arteries, and skin to graft it and replace the bad bone. Dr. Nishant Agarwal, Dr. Lawrence Gottlieb, and Dr. Alan Harvey, Oral Surgeon, did a phenomenal job. I am currently recovering from this extensive surgery and am on the road to recovery.

I am feeling so blessed and grateful. I thank my creator everyday as well as my family support. I also thank my son for stepping up and taking over my 32 year practice. Returning back to work seems many moons away, but thanks to my oncology team, I am able to think about that one day.

   - Dr. Chirag H Shah