Juanita McReynolds received her life-saving bone marrow transplant back in 1996 after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In our first episode of Season 5, McReynolds talks about perspective and purpose. Post-transplant, Juanita was able to care for her then-disabled husband, an ailing mother-in-law, and a sibling. Speaking of siblings, learn more about Juanita's incredible journey with her brother who was her donor. She claims her transplant also fixed her heart--you won't want t...
Apr 26, 2021•13 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Mike Ansley (seen left in this photo) is a 10 year Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) survivor and military veteran. When he was in the Navy, he and his colleagues used the term "embrace the suck." There were times when they were in tough situations, and they had to acknowledge their limitations. The same is true for survivorship. Another mantra Mike lives by is "Faith, Family, Friends." As long as you keep those three things as priorities, the rest is just "stuff." Lean on your faith, family, and...
Apr 26, 2021•22 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Manager Karen Hartman of New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center joins us today to talk about life after transplant. So much goes into medical care up to, during, and immediately after transplant. But survivorship is its own key phase of the experience. Senses of loss and vulnerability are common during this part of the cancer experience. Medical care is not as intense, and fear or recurrence can often creep in. Anxiety can be triggered by expected e...
Apr 26, 2021•27 min•Season 5Ep. 3
The cancer journey is a difficult for everyone, but being diagnosed as a young adult brings its own unique set of challenges. Stephanie Scoletti was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) just before her 20th birthday. She changed her career focus from pharmacist to social worker and wants to provide resources and kinship for those in similar circumstances. For survivors, some friends may not know what to say or do, but others step up in ways you'd never imagine. Her non-profit organi...
Apr 26, 2021•24 min•Season 5Ep. 4
No amount of medical training can adequately prepare you for the news that your 9 month-old-daughter has a rare form of leukemia, AML. But that's the position Dr. Omar Durani found himself in when Kenza was diagnosed in 2016. Throughout his touching story, Dr. Durani talks of he and his wife moving into their daughter's 100 square foot hospital room, the roller coaster of multiple rounds of aggressive chemo, organizing bone marrow drives through DKMS, and ultimately getting Kenza into a clinical...
Apr 26, 2021•32 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Anna Holness, a Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) survivor received her transplant in 2017. Her background as a physician gave her a unique perspective as she navigated her journey. Anna researched, gained as much medical knowledge as she could, and even planned for the worst case scenario. She wanted to make sure her kids had as much knowledge and as many memories as possible - just in case. After all, forewarned is forearmed. Anna explains how she empowered them by preparing them to lessen their...
Apr 26, 2021•29 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia ( CLL ) survivor Pete Thomason joins us today to share strategies for dealing with the emotional challenges of survivorship. Following his diagnosis and transplant six years ago, his daughter introduced him to art therapy. Pete is also a big proponent of mindfulness, meditation, and visualization and walks us through how these strategies have helped him through survivorship. Equifinality is an important concept to Pete as well. He explains what that is and how to get...
Apr 26, 2021•26 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Jennifer Barish is now a 10 year survivor of acute myeloid leukemia ( AML ), and today she walks us through her journey of returning to work, battling chronic GVHD, and more. We always hear the cliché about this journey being a marathon, not a sprint. But Jen's journey of slowly returning to work after a five year leave of absence illustrates this point. She needed a plan, but also needed to be flexible with that plan. Sometimes, the simplest quote can provide inspiration. Jen knows that "Life i...
Apr 26, 2021•27 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Dr. Katy LaLone is a Consultation Liaison Psychiatrist at Seidman Cancer Center, University Hospitals and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. Today, Dr. LaLone joins us to discuss the importance of mental health care in survivorship. PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder, is very common in survivors. Cancer and treatment are, in fact, a trauma. There are treatments, biopsies, isolation, frustration with our medical system, and so many other stre...
Apr 26, 2021•21 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Welcome to Marrow Masters, Season 4, Caregiving Perspective, Sponsored by the National Bone Marrow Transplant Link, (nbmtLINK), Incyte Corporation and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link, established in 1992, strives to help patients caregivers and their families cope with the psychosocial challenges of transplant from diagnosis through survivorship. In Season 4, join Peggy Burkhard, Executive Director of the nbmtLINK, as she focuses on all things Caregi...
Oct 07, 2020•2 min•Season 4Ep. 9
In this season's first episode, we are joined by clinical and health psychologist Michelle Bishop, who specializes in working with cancer patients, survivors, and family caregivers. Michelle spent the first half of her career as a research assistant professor at the University of Florida studying the long-term quality of life of BMT survivors and caregivers, and has been in private practice for the last 11 years. Michelle likens the BMT journey to a long road trip with many roads and pitstops. T...
Oct 07, 2020•26 min•Season 4Ep. 1
When Sharon Minton's husband Rob broke out in a strange rash, his primary doctor thought it might be an allergic reaction to laundry detergent. What it turned out to be was an extraordinarily rare cancer called Sezary Syndrome, an aggressive form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In 2013, he was told he had a 25% chance of surviving the next five years. Sharon shares the importance of being YOUR loved one's advocate, even if you have to speak up and be bold at times. After researching with doctors a...
Oct 07, 2020•20 min•Season 4Ep. 2
It's 2011. Imagine being halfway across the world in Africa, doing missionary work, and your daughter gets sick. You are far from modern medicine, and you're told your six-year-old has either mono or leukemia. Then, it turns out she has BOTH. Next thing Matt DeYoung knew, he, his wife, and all four kids were back in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as Lola battled Pre B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. While difficult, the initial treatments went well for Lola. Then, in 2013, she was back in treatment after...
Oct 07, 2020•22 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Barb Hara found herself in the role of caregiver just last year when her sister Jackie was diagnosed with PH positive B cell ALL. Following a transplant, she just celebrated her first "birthday" in September of this year. As a caregiver to her older sister, Barb took the reigns and started taking notes - lots of them. She tracked every doctor, every treatment, every day. This allowed her to stay on top of all developments and closely monitor Jackie's situation. Organization was key, as this allo...
Oct 07, 2020•21 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Dr. Sung Choi is a pediatric bone marrow transplant physician at Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan). Dr. Choi joins us today to discuss the unique challenges for both pediatric patients as well as their caregivers. Of course, the approach differs with different ages. You wouldn't treat a 16 year-old the same way you would a toddler. But there are some constants. For example, it's important to have quality time with the patient not spent discussing treatment. And often times, kids will ta...
Oct 07, 2020•24 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Today, we are joined by Kate Whitson, who talks about her husband Randy's ALL diagnosis. Randy was 43, and their son was about to turn 5 and go into kindergarten. Kate discusses the unique challenges of being Randy's caregiver and trying to convey the situation to Max in an age appropriate way. In some ways, they were lucky that Max was too young to fully understand the situation, but they faced the daunting task of Max starting school under unique circumstances. Kate relied on many family membe...
Oct 07, 2020•27 min•Season 4Ep. 6
In 1996, Jim Bulger's wife Nancy was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell lymphoma. She went into remission after six months of chemo. But over two decades later, in 2017, Nancy received another diagnosis: follicular lymphoma. A later diagnosis showed that this had transformed into Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma once again. One of Jim's roles as a caregiver was to run "interference" - to field calls and other correspondence from friends and family, so Nancy didn't have to keep re-telling the same ...
Oct 07, 2020•25 min•Season 4Ep. 7
When Jean Heika's daughter Shannon was in college in 2013, she got sick. After extensive testing, they learned she had an aggressive, rare leukemia - blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN). Jean learned a lot over about being a caregiver over the course of Shannon's journey, including how to interact with doctors. As the primary caregiver, you need to be the patient's chief advocate, even if that means pushing back when necessary. Find a doctor that's not afraid to consult with col...
Oct 07, 2020•34 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Today we have Cathleen S. Graham RN, CHPN, the regional manager for one of the nation's largest hospice organizations and the CEO of CannabisNurse.com. Cathleen is also a partner with Leaf Medic, Michigan's first online vocational school to offer cannabis industry training. The information in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health care provider regarding your medical decisions and treatment. The listed resources are not intended to be endorsements...
Jul 08, 2020•15 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Merely 45 years old at the time, this wonderful lady has much to share in the past three years! Kelly has had two transplants, the second being a haploidentical transplant, a haplo. Get ready to be inspired. Note: At the time Kelly recorded this podcast with us in the spring, she was in remission. Since then, she has had a relapse but we are so happy to say she is getting through this next chapter and hoping to make a full recovery. The information ...
Jul 08, 2020•33 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Strapped in with an amazing support system, James D. Bond, Sr. showed Multiple Myeloma what he was made of many decades ago. GVHD has also taken its toll but James beat that too. Second opinions, six clinical trials, four bone marrow transplants and a super attitude all played a life-saving role in this happy ending. And we will let James tell you his Patient 007 story! James also shares the role his loving wife Kathleen has played in his survival and care. In fact, Kathleen developed a cycling ...
Jul 08, 2020•22 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Roy has a perspective on all of this that is humbling, real and evolving. "I've lost things and I've gained things," Roy shares. Listen in to learn more about this young man's profound strength, determination and authenticity. Roy reminds us that you can control what you can control, and you can let go of what you can't. You will find yourself rooting for Roy as you follow his journey as an AYA to a resilient young man willing to share his soul to help others. Roy talks frankly about the benefit...
Jul 08, 2020•22 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Jordan "walks the walk and talks the talk." He will first share his amazing donor journey and also tell you all about DKMS and all they do to enhance the patient experience through the donor's gift of life. After all, we would not have life-saving bone marrow/stem cell survivors without donors. The information in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health care provider regarding your medical decisions and treatment. The listed resources are not intend...
Jul 08, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Lew Christie is 71 years of age and was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in December 2012, with a very pessimistic diagnosis. A worker at the scene of 9-11 in NYC in 2001, Lew believes his health issue stemmed from the carcinogens breathed in after that catastrophic tragedy. Settle in and get ready to be inspired and humbled by the journey of Lew. Lew received two transplants, one from an unrelated donor in spring of 2014. Later that year, he received a haplo transplant from his daugh...
Jul 08, 2020•20 min•Season 3Ep. 3
The aim of a clinical trial is to safely, and in a controlled manner, study a brand new therapy, perhaps a drug, new drug combination, targeted therapy or medical device that hasn't been seen before. We might also be testing an already approved drug but for a different indication or disease. Sometimes a trial is designed to compare a new treatment with a standard treatment to find out which one is more effective or has fewer side effects, or maybe it's just looking at quality of life. Scientists...
Jul 08, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Pam was the eighth patient to be enrolled in a clinical trial at Northwestern Medicine and is in full remission. Today, Pam volunteers as a peer support mentor for Imerman Angels and helps non-profits like ours by sharing her personal experience today. This podcast will inspire anyone who has questions about CAR-T and/or Clinical Trials. The information in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health care provider regarding your medical decisions and tr...
Jul 08, 2020•16 min•Season 3Ep. 1
The information in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health care provider regarding your medical decisions and treatment. The listed resources are not intended to be endorsements.National Bone Marrow Transplant Link - (800) LINK-BMT, or (800) 546-5268. nbmtLINK Website: https://www.nbmtlink.org/ nbmtLINK Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nbmtLINK Follow the nbmtLINK on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/nbmtlink/ The nbmtLINK YouTube Page ca...
Jul 08, 2020•1 min
Please note that the information that was available at that time is reflected in this podcast. As well, more than 50 cancer related COVID-19 questions were asked in advance, which were incorporated into the presentation and about 10 more were answered live on the call, all relevant to staying well physically and mentally (coping) during this unprecedented time. For more information, visit www.nbmtlink.org or LIKE us on Facebook. We post regularly and responsibly. If you would like to ask Jennife...
May 11, 2020•55 min
This special Lunch & Learn originally aired on Thursday, April 2, 2020. Pleae note that the information that was available at that time is reflected in this podcast. As well, more than 40 cancer related COVID-19 questions were asked in advance, which were incorporated into the presentation and about 10-15 more were answered live on the call, all relevant to staying well physically and mentally (coping) during this unprecedented time. For more information, visit www.nbmtlink.org or LIKE us on...
Apr 06, 2020•1 hr 4 min
What is your definition of love? Feelings of happiness with each other? Feelings can be like waves though; they come and go. Therefore, love in the feeling sense is not enough. Love trust, respect, communication, fun and a sense of spirituality are the foundation blocks for a healthy marriage. Each is like a spoke of a wheel, if one is down the other wobble as well. In addition to these normal relationship tasks, cancer patients are further stressed with role changes, intense and life altering t...
Nov 26, 2019•24 min•Season 2Ep. 7
