Going the Distance: Steven Navaroli and his GBMC Team

Steve Navaroli’s life has been saved more than once. Yet that isn’t what he’s most grateful for. Steve and his family have been able to enjoy countless moments together – big moments and more mundane ones. 

Fourteen years ago, Steve’s Ear, Nose & Throat doctor told him he had throat cancer and recommended the Milton J. Dance, Jr., Head & Neck Center at GBMC, miles away from his Dallastown, PA home. Within minutes of his first appointment, “my wife and I knew that GBMC is where we were coming for treatment.” 

Steve is certain that the Dance Center team saved his life and much more. “It has never been just about survival,” he says. “It’s about surviving to enjoy a quality of life. Through the grueling 33 radiation treatments, which included chemo on a weekly basis, our decision to drive 40-45 minutes to GBMC was always the correct choice.” In his assessment, the staff in the Dance Center, the Going the Distance: Steven Navaroli and His GBMC Team Infusion Center and in Radiation Oncology are “second to none.” 

For 12 years, Steve was cancer free, following up with Geoffrey A. Neuner, MD, Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, with whom he could “chat like a friend.” Unfortunately, the same radiation therapy that helped to save his life had also scarred Steve’s vocal cords. As the scar tissue expanded, his windpipe was compromised, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. 

Over the course of his follow-up visits, Steve met Dr. Farzad A. Masroor but had yet to fully appreciate the head and neck surgeon’s skill. “I really found out what a kind, caring, and brilliant person he is, just like Dr. Neuner.” Dr. Masroor’s recommendation was a total laryngectomy, which involves removal of the vocal chords. 

During that surgery in June, 2025, Dr. Masroor identified cancerous spots on Steve’s vocal cords as he was removing them. Any hesitation Steve had about the radical procedure evaporated when he learned the result. 

“I suppose now I’m a 2-time cancer survivor,” Steve says. “I’m incredibly blessed.” Now Steve works with Speech-Language Pathologist Bushra Lohrasbi. “She is phenomenal at what she does and how she does it. She and Dr. Masroor work together so well.” he says. 

“Thanks to all of these people, I am able to speak, eat and enjoy life despite some inconveniences. I have a top-notch team at GBMC. I know my positive attitude has helped play a role in my recovery, but I can give you many examples of how my teams at GBMC have made a difference.” 

Steve is certain he is alive because of the people at GBMC. 

“But it’s not just that I have life, I have a great life that I that I really feel has been saved not once, but twice. Because of my treatment at GBMC, my wife and I have raised two children, who were 10 and 6 when this started, and are 23 and 19 now. I coached some of my son’s hockey teams. I watched my daughter perform dance, music, and cheer. I’ve seen my son get engaged and my daughter attend college. 

“I’m able to be me.”