Inspirational Stories

My journey is not over yet. I was diagnosed in 2019 with triple-hit diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most fearsome of the DLBCL constellation of lymphomas. My oncologist told me that in addition to chemo, I would need, in order to survive, an autologous stem cell transplant. After three rounds of progressively heavy chemo, I had a transplant in February 2020 done with my own stem cells. I was in remission! My wife and I moved to the U.K. in 2022 where I was semi-retired, living my best life with travel, music, history, and a little work on the side.

A relapse reared its head in March 2023, and I was very sick. This time, the chemo was a bridge to a treatment expected to be more durable, CAR-T using my own T-cells to fight the cancer. I had that treatment in July 2023. I had a negative scan in August 2024, but the three-month follow-up PET scan in November showed a spot of high metabolic avidity. In other words, the CAR-T treatment didn’t seem to work. I flew back to the U.S. to have further treatment or at least be near my kids, grandkids, and relatives should the worst happen.

I had chemo in December and a workup in January to do a new CAR-T trial. A PET scan in January showed a spot. The biopsy, however, did not show any tumor cells. The CAR-T from July and the chemo in December seem to have jump-started the healing process, and treatment was scrubbed. I had a follow-up PET scan in March 2024 which showed no cancer, and a follow-up CT scan in July also showed no cancer.

I'm living in this space now. I am officially in remission and loving life. I feel great. I've resumed many/most of my pre-cancerous activities. I'm still anemic and probably immunosuppressed, so I take certain precautions. But in general, I am profoundly grateful to have this remission. I hope it lasts. But if it doesn't, I have a backup plan.