Yin’s Story: New Hope, in a New York Minute

When Yin Ling Leung, from Seattle, Washington, received her diagnosis—stage IV pancreatic cancer—the news was devastating. For most, it would mark the start of a difficult, uphill battle. For Yin, it also became the beginning of a more literal journey that would take her across the country, guided by a series of fortunate coincidences, quick decisions, and life-saving research.

Her path would ultimately lead her to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, where she became one of the first patients to enroll in a Revolution Medicines phase I clinical trial for a new RAS inhibitor.

“I had a network of doctor friends who encouraged me to pursue answers quickly,” Yin recalls. When her persistent abdominal pain did not resolve, they urged her to seek care and request a biopsy. Yin also insisted her biopsy include a tumor mutational profile, opening the door to clinical trials that otherwise might not have been an option.

Another stroke of luck came when she and her husband noticed that one of her Seattle doctors had trained at Columbia. In the exam room, her doctor texted Gulam Manji, MD, PhD, to ask if there were any open trials for Yin. Minutes later, the possibility of New York-based care became real. “Can she be in New York by next Wednesday?” Dr. Manji messaged back.

The speed of the process impressed Yin. “I really love the New York pace,” she says. “They understood that speed was everything and they made it happen.” Within a single afternoon, Leung was enrolled in a new clinical trial.

“We were one of the first sites in the country with this promising new therapy,” says Dr. Manji. “Getting Yin on that clinical trial was critical.”

Yin relocated to New York for the clinical trial. “It was a very privileged position to be in,” she acknowledges. “The clinical trial system can be complicated, and I’m so lucky and grateful that it worked in my favor.” Despite the challenges of moving cities, she embraced the experience, especially as her health began to improve. Between treatments, she explored museums and theaters, and walked her dog through New York’s urban landscape, finding small adventures amid the intensity of cancer care.

Support from her Columbia care team proved just as critical as the therapy itself. From carefully managing side effects to guiding her through the clinical trial regimen, the clinicians “helped make the unbearable bearable,” Yin explains.

After months of treatment, Yin returned to Seattle, where her care continues locally while remaining connected to the trial’s oversight.

“Yin responded well to this therapy,” says Dr. Manji. “Her tumor is shrinking and she is doing remarkably well and has some sense of normalcy back in her life.”

“I am here today because of science and love,” says Yin. “The research behind this trial started years ago, and it took that science, along with the care I received from the research team and the love of my family and friends, to help me through the hardest parts.”

Today, Yin focuses on living fully, now back home in Washington. She hikes, travels, and practices meditation. She writes letters to loved ones, expressing the appreciation that her diagnosis brought into sharper focus.

One year after her initial scan showing stage IV pancreatic cancer, Yin hiked Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park with friends. At the top, she snapped a photo and sent it to Dr. Manji, remarking that no one would have thought that moment would have been possible a year ago and thanking him for the “gift of normalcy.”

“When I was diagnosed, I thought, ‘Well, it’s my turn for some bad luck.’ But in the grand scheme of things, I’ve been so lucky—wonderful opportunities, incredible people in my life. And then, finding Dr. Manji and joining his clinical trial felt like another win. Maybe I should play the lottery next.”