Marrow Masters

Rhonda Frederick Stewart has been through it all.  She was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2012.  Her chemo treatment likely led to acute myeloid leukemia (AML).   Later, she developed both a brain bleed and an aneurism.   Today, she takes us through her journey of survivorship and inspiration. Rhonda's treatment has led to Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease(GVHD)  of the lungs, skin, eyes...

Dr. Andy Harris was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when he was a 19 year old pre-med college student.  After receiving lifesaving care at the University of Michigan, he vowed to pay it forward.  Now he works with young people at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Today we do a deep dive with Dr. Harris on the unique challenges posed to kids of all ages fighting cancer...

Dr. Barbara Abernathy is the President and CEO of The Pediatric Oncology Support Team, (POST) serving South Florida.  She was already working at POST, helping pediatric cancer patients and their families, when she herself was diagnosed with Polycythemia Vera, a blood cancer, in 1996.  She kept her diagnosis to herself. In 2013, Barb's disease morphed into AML, and she was in urgent need of a bone...

SEASON 10 OF MARROW MASTERS WILL BE OUT ON THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2023! Welcome to Marrow Masters Season 10, sponsored by Pharmacylics and Janssen, and Incyte. The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link, established in 1992, strives to help patients, caregivers, and families cope with the psychosocial challenges of bone marrow and stem cell transplant from diagnosis through survivorship. Season 10 focus...

Kate Arnold underwent a stem cell transplant for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma 12 years ago.  She joins us today to discuss her best survivorship tips for every step of the process. First, you need a goal--- a "why."  For Kate, she wanted to get her young daughters through high school.  Today, they are both in college. Throughout this process, listen to your gut.  ASK QUESTIONS - there are no stupid quest...

This is a special episode of the Marrow Masters Podcast.  Not only do we have two guests, but we are also diving into a very important topic that isn't often discussed.   When you're facing transplant, fertility may be the furthest thing from your mind.   But chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments could impact your body's ability to start a family.  That's why it's critically important to a...

Lela Prewitt was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) n February of 2021.  She walks us through her diagnosis and transplant process.  This includes having to move with her wife from their small community to Seattle, so they could have access to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, also known as "The Hutch." Lela's transplant in June 2021 went well, but she developed Graft Versus Host Disease...

Nancy Robey spent 34 years as a Physicians Assistant at Johns Hopkins in Maryland.  Now retired, she has a wealth of experience with pediatric transplant patients. She's here today to offer her tips and best practices to care for them. In the pediatric transplant world, the procedure may be for something other than cancer, and many patients and families don't have the knowledge base that cancer pa...

Tina Masters-Odum recently lost her husband after being his caregiver for over 12 years.  Today, she honors his legacy by sharing her best caregiver and survivorship tips. We start with what you need to know at the beginning of this process.  It can be easy to experience information overload. But talk to a nurse navigator or equivalent to find out things such as what are the sleeping arrangements...

Jermaine Reid of Georgia was playing a recreational basketball game when, all of a sudden, he couldn't catch his breath.   Jermaine had not been to the doctor in quite some time and he knew something was wrong. Next thing you know, he was in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Northside Hospital, unable to be around his children.  He was fighting with acute myeloid leukemia.   But it was a chance m...

Today we are  joined by Becky Dame, currently an Information Specialist at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, RN and Survivor. As Peggy says in the podcast, callers who end up talking to Becky must feel like they've hit the information jackpot.  Becky is a chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) survivor who went on to become a cancer care nurse, before she transitioned to her current role.  Today, we tap in...

Season 9 of the Marrow Masters Podcast focuses on “what I wish I knew before transplant.”  We’re featuring advice from caregivers, doctors, nurses, and survivors. The transplant journey doesn’t end in the hospital - it’s important to maintain a positive attitude when you come home, too. This season also includes an episode on fertility preservation, a topic that isn't discussed nearly enough. Don'...

Survivor Aisha Stokes of Southfield, Michigan was not a cancer patient.  She battled sickle cell anemia for the first 24 years of her life.   But it was a clinical trial involving what's traditionally a cancer course of treatment - that changed everything. Aisha walks us through the decision to enroll in this trial just before an upcoming birthday would have made her ineligible. Following pheresis...

Dr. Corey Cutler is the medical director of the Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Boston's Dana Farber Cancer Institute and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.  As a physician at the forefront of cancer research, he talks about how the field has rapidly advanced, thanks to the volunteers who participate in clinical trials. Dr. Cutler's field of expertise is Graft Versu...

Jacey Herman is a survivor.  And much of that has to do with clinical trials.  At age 35, this mom of two was diagnosed with with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Late admission into a clinical trial got her to remission the first time.  After a relapse, she underwent a double cord transplant when no donor could be found.   Yet another clinical trial bought her more time until, following yet a...

This season we are talking to doctors and clinical trial participants.  But today we get a different perspective. Stacey Brown manages clinical research at Northside Hospital Cancer Institute.  She's uniquely qualified to discuss what goes into an institution joining a clinical trial, as well as everything patients can expect throughout the process. Northside is unique in that all its patients com...

Today Gleevec is an incredibly common cancer treatment.  But like every drug on the market, it went through clinical trials more than two decades ago.  Our guest today, Mel Mann, was the second person to receive the drug, back in 1998. And it saved his life. Mel was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, (CML) in 1995 and was given three years to live.  At the time, a bone marrow transplant was...

Our guest today is Dr. Mark Schroeder of the Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis.  Dr. Schroeder walks us through the different phases of the clinical trial process, how it can benefit patients, and how volunteers can help advance cancer treatment. We talk about interventional vs. non interventional studies, and how Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 of clinical trials function step...

Survivor Marilyn Zagha-Keeshan joins us today.  An immunoblastic T-cell lymphoma survivor, Marilyn volunteered for not one, but two clinical trials.  She talks about the helpless feeling that came with her cancer diagnosis, but the empowering feeling that came with volunteering for clinical trials. First, she participated in a trial for Azacitidine, which was given to her in between chemotherapy t...

Welcome to Season 8 of the Marrow Masters Podcast, sponsored by Omeros Corporation. and Incyte.  Season 8 of our show focuses on clinical trials. We're covering how to find them, what to expect, and how survivors have benefited from them. We also talk to healthcare professionals about how these oncology clinical trials are conducted and monitored, safely. Our goal is to answer as many of your ques...

Season 7 of Marrow Masters focuses on chronic Graft vs. Host Disease sufferers, or GVHD "long haulers."  And our first episode is about an important topic that doesn't get enough attention - reproductive and sexual health. Dr. Areej El-Jawahri is an oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.   And while that is her primary role, her work experience has taught her about the need to foc...

Juliane Belisle, MSW, LCSW-s, at Cancer Family Care in Cincinnati, provided counseling and other services to survivors and their families.  To outsiders, chronic Graft vs. Host Disease long haulers may appear fine.  Survivors have made it through transplant and the immediate aftermath.   But the unpredictability of cGVHD can lead to anxiety, depression, and despair and frankly, survivors get sick...

Dr. Sean Smith is the director of the cancer rehabilitation program at Michigan Medicine, in Ann Arbor, as well as an associate professor at the University of Michigan. He's dedicated to helping patients improve function as it relates to a variety of musculoskeletal, neurological and cognitive deficits related to cancer and its treatment. Dr. Smith says every patient is different, and they may try...

Heather Jim, PhD,  is a senior member and co-leader of the Health Outcomes and Behavior Research Program at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.  Today she walks us through ways to combat sleep issues related to chronic Graft vs. Host Disease.  Hopefully the tips here will help all of us get a better night's sleep. Heather begins by walking us through the importance of sleep, and how that changes as we...

Colorado's Ann Haehn and her daughter Genny are two truly special people.  Today, Ann takes us on their journey through Genny's transplant and subsequent battles with chronic Graft vs Host Disease. After a very grim diagnosis, Ann and the rest of Genny's village found a doctor that felt he could get Genny through transplant at Colorado Blood Cancer Institute. During a long six-month pre-transplant...