Seventeen-year-old Stylianos Kortas, a cancer survivor from Cyprus, traveled to Illinois for advanced medical care after complications from lymphoma treatment left him unable to eat solid food for two years, according to a June 30 statement. His family sought help in the United States after hospitals across Europe declined his complex case.
Kortas was treated by Dr. Amrita Sethi, an interventional gastroenterologist who first met the family in New York before joining Northwestern Medicine in Winfield, Illinois. "No hospital in Europe accepted us because of my condition, so we requested [an appointment] at Columbia Hospital in New York. There we met Dr. Sethi, our doctor now," said Stylianos. "I was excited that finally someone wanted to help me." Dr. Sethi performed multiple endoscopic procedures between January and August 2025 that allowed Kortas to eat again after years on a liquid diet.
Stylianos' mother Maria said, "She was the first doctor who could treat him and make him eat after two years." After significant improvement but with ongoing needs for intervention, the family followed Dr. Sethi when she relocated to Chicago and continued care at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital's Center for Advanced Endoscopy.
The center used EUS-guided ERCP techniques unavailable elsewhere in his previous treatments. “This center was built specifically to help patients like Stylianos,” said Dr. Sethi. “We have the equipment, the space and, most importantly, the team...to support these very complex cases.” The Kortas family stayed at Ronald McDonald House near the hospital during their time in Chicago.
After successful procedures and recovery time exploring Chicago landmarks and trying local foods—including deep dish pizza—Stylianos is regaining strength and planning his future back home in Cyprus with hopes of becoming a doctor himself one day: “When you go through these difficult situations, you're inspired by those people. Now he wants to be a doctor, like Dr. Sethi,” said Maria.
Northwestern Medicine operates under parent organization Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and is led by president and chief executive officer Howard B. Chrisman; it aims to provide world-class patient-focused care through clinical research and education collaborations while recognizing community contributions through humanitarian awards reflecting values of compassion and impact, according to its official website.
