Duke Health

Brad Dugai, 55, underwent chemotherapy and radiation to treat his pancreatic cancer, but the tumors kept coming back. At Duke Health, he joined a clinical trial of a new drug called daraxonrasib, and now his imaging scans show no evidence of disease. “A lot of days I don't even feel like I have cancer,” he said. “I can't say enough good things about my team at Duke.”

Bailey Geason was 27 when doctors spotted cancer in her right breast. She wasn’t shocked; when she was a college freshman, genetic testing confirmed she carried the BRCA1 gene. The mutation increased her risk for breast and ovarian cancer. After a double mastectomy and chemotherapy at Duke Health, Geason said, “I’m lucky I knew I had this mutation and got screened.”

Alex Lucas’ underlying congenital heart disease led to heart and liver problems as he neared adulthood. After another hospital told Alex his case was too complex, he was evaluated for a combined heart-liver transplant at Duke Health. Alex ultimately underwent a standalone heart transplant in 2022, but that’s not all he experienced at Duke. Thanks to a chance run-in with Duke’s baseball coach, Alex threw out the first pitch at a Duke baseball game in March 2026, fulfilling a boyhood dream. Today, Alex is happy to be feeling well and back to work. “We don't take a single day for granted because we know that every day is a gift,” said Alex’s mother Vicki Lucas.