Bob Naman was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2024 and quickly saw a specialist in his local area of Alabama with the initial plan to remove two small tumors then wait six weeks before additional testing. For Bob and his wife, Barbara, waiting was not an option.
Barbara, an oncology-certified registered nurse, knew they needed to move more quickly. She reached out to a trusted provider in Mobile, Alabama, who gave them a second opinion referral to Dr. Scott Delacroix, a urologic oncologist at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Metairie.
They scheduled an appointment and made the drive to see Dr. Delacroix. That decision changed everything.
“Dr. Delacroix told me on the very first day that he was going to save my life,'” Bob recalled. “And he did exactly that.”
As a scientist, Bob’s work taught him to ask questions, study the evidence and trust the data. With Barbara’s oncology nursing background and a family filled with scientists and medical professionals, they carefully considered every decision. They wanted evidence; not just reassurance. Bob found that in Dr. Delacroix and the entire Mary Bird Perkins team.
“Dr. Delacroix explained everything,” Bob said. “Oncology is very specialized, and he was able to help me understand what I needed to know. That meant a lot to me.”
Barbara arrived at the first appointment with pages of notes and questions. Instead of rushing through the conversation, Dr. Delacroix welcomed each one. By the time they left that appointment, Bob said they were confident in the treatment plan and trusted the team behind it.
Bob enrolled in a clinical trial that would span the next 25 months. Not long after, unexpected medical complications temporarily interrupted treatment. Throughout his recovery, the Mary Bird Perkins team remained in close communication. Once improved, Bob picked up treatment right where he had left off.
“The first six months were up and down,” Barbara said. “But despite everything, Dr. Delacroix and the team were in touch with us the entire time.”
Looking back, Bob believes those relationships were just as important as the treatment itself. “If the patient doesn’t feel good about what’s going on, that can impact the care and recovery,” he said. “If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.” It’s one of the biggest lessons he hopes others take away from his experience.
“I’d absolutely recommend Mary Bird Perkins,” he said. “They provided excellent care, and the whole team knew what they were doing. They made me comfortable every step of the way.”
Over the course of two years, the drive from Mobile to Metairie became routine. Hotel rooms, favorite restaurants, and shopping trips filled the time around appointments. Inside the Cancer Center, the front desk staff greeted Bob and Barbara by name, nurses remembered their stories, and every visit felt personal.
“They’re our family over there,” Barbara said.
Bob had his own way of thanking the team. At every visit, he handed out crisp two-dollar bills to every staff member. Before long, everyone from the Cancer Center to local restaurants knew him as the “two-dollar bill man.”
In July of 2026, Bob completed treatment and rang the bell. Although he will continue routine follow-up visits, he and Barbara are once again filling their calendar with travel, family, fishing, and enjoying time together.
What began as a search for a second opinion became something far more meaningful. They found confidence in a care team, friendships that feel like family, and a second home they never expected to find.
