Dr. Erin Roof-Wages: When healer becomes patient

When healer becomes patient: veterinary oncologist forges deeper connections with patients and their people while navigating cancer. With more than a decade of guiding pet owners through the challenges of cancer, veterinary medical oncologist Dr. Erin Roof-Wages was no stranger to delivering difficult news. But nothing in her veterinary medicine background prepared her for being on the receiving end when her own oncologist said the words, “You have cancer.”

That was in February 2023, the same month Dr. Roof-Wages became pregnant only to experience a miscarriage soon after. Despite her devastating loss, she still felt pregnant, leading her to seek medical answers. Tests revealed abnormally high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a pregnancy hormone, despite her miscarriage. After undergoing a DNC, a CT scan, and various other tests, the doctors diagnosed her with gestational choriocarcinoma, a rare, aggressive cancer that develops from placental tissue after pregnancy.

Dr. Roof-Wages’ background in veterinary oncology helped her remain calm. “Of course, I was scared, but I think I reacted better than my husband,” said Dr. Roof-Wages, who is on the medical oncology team at the Animal Cancer Care Clinic in Orlando, Fla.

After she underwent surgery, the doctors observed her hCG levels continuing to rise, signaling the need for chemotherapy. But Dr. Roof-Wages was not a typical patient, she knew what to expect. 

“Instead of the doctors explaining to me what chemotherapy is and how it might affect my body, they were able to give me the full, medical run-down,” she said. She started chemotherapy and continued with her daily life—riding horses and working in her clinic.

Having cancer would prove to change many aspects of her life, particularly her relationship with veterinary oncology. Her personal experience with cancer allowed Dr. Roof-Wages to connect with clients and patients in a way few veterinary oncologists ever can. 

“Everyone’s reaction to the disease is different, and I feel that’s true of animals, as well,” she said. 

While undergoing chemotherapy and losing her hair, she forged deeper connections with clients facing similar struggles. "Around 90 percent of clients didn’t even know I had cancer during my treatment," she said. "It really taught me that we need to give each other grace because we really have no idea what is going on in each other’s lives." 

Since early 2024, Roof-Wages has been in remission. In September 2024, she and her horse, Cooley One Too Many, competed in a horse jumping competition in Lexington, Ky., and ranked among the top three winners. She continues practicing veterinary oncology and remains in touch with her oncologist, sustaining the colleague-like relationship formed during her treatment.

After earning her DVM in 2008, Dr. Roof-Wages moved to Florida, where she completed an internship at Veterinary Specialists of South Florida. Following a residency and board certification, she began her career as a veterinary oncologist, which would later play a crucial role in her own cancer experience.

She and her husband, Aaron Wages, have been together ever since their second year at LSU Vet Med. “After we graduated, he followed me to Florida for my internship and has been following me around ever since,” Dr. Roof-Wages said. Aaron Wages is a veterinarian at Helping Hands, where his primary interests are soft tissue surgery and dentistry. Together, they have a daughter and live in the Orlando area. 

“The whole experience really taught me to take it day-by-day,” she said. “One day might be a good day and the next one, a bad day. No matter what, I know I’ll get through it.”