Marrow Masters

Today, survivor and advocate Meredith Cowden talks about being your own advocate regarding GVHD.  As patient advocacy director of the Meredith Cowden Foundation, she has a wealth of resources to share, many of which are linked below.   (If you'd like to hear a more detailed version of Meredith's story, you can listen to Season 6, Episode 4 of the Marrow Masters podcast here: https://marrowmasters....

Today, Peg is joined by Heather Younker, RDN, CSO, a dietician at the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center.  We cover all things related to Graft vs. Host Disease and diet. Nutrition is important for everyone, but especially those with GVHD, in order to prevent malnutrition and other issues.  Registered dieticians and nutritionists can be key in a multidisciplinary ap...

Welcome to Marrow Masters Season 7, sponsored by Pharmacyclics and Jansen, and Kadmon, a Sanofi company.  This season we focus on long haulers – those who are dealing with chronic graft vs host disease.  We cover different treatment options. We’ll cover some topics that aren’t always easy to bring up. And we’ll cover the importance of taking care of not just your physical health, but your mental h...

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 pediatric patients as it relates to Graft Versus Host Disease (cGVHD). Passionate and knowledgeable, Dr. Choi will tackle it all, including target organ damage, the cytokine storm, clinical trials and much more.  Classic organs af...

Senior Clinician Dr. Edward Cowen is Head of the Dermatology Consultation Service at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the NIH. Dr. Cowen will share his expertise on skin issues as they relate to Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD).  In this episode Dr. Cowen "covers" it all--dry scaly skin, red rashes, skin fibrosis and fasciitis. His expertise will make pa...

Molly Gallogly, MD, PhD, Attending Physician, and director of the Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) program at the Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, OH, is one busy doctor. Dr. Gallogly will share what happens at their incredible GVHD clinic and why it is advantageous to have a designated GVHD clinic. Newly diagnosed patients are evaluated and seen regularly as long as their GVHD is active. A det...

Meredith Cowden was only 19 years-old when she was diagnosed with AML about 20 years ago. Meredith  has been dealing with GVHD in many manifestations for most of these two decades.  Polymyositis and steroid use are discussed as well as the incredible perseverance and determination this young lady carries with her each day.  Meredith, a clinical counselor, is in the business of helping others thriv...

Dr. Catherine Lee is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/BMT at the Huntsman Cancer Center, University of Utah. Dr. Lee's clinical expertise is in classical transplantation (autologous and allogeneic) and newer cellular immunotherapies (i.e., CAR-T cell) for the treatment of blood diseases in adult patients.  She runs a Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease and Long-Term F...

Perry Cheathem noticed swelling in his legs in 2014. After many rounds of chemo that were not working, Perry had his life-saving bone marrow transplant in June of 2015. This determined man of faith and dad of five children says he was actually honored to get cancer, deciding it was a testimony to help others. He was not afraid and is at peace with the process, walking with God through it all.  Per...

In June of 2016, 69 year old retired CPA Harry Johnston went on a safari in South Africa. He did not feel well and even thought he'd been bitten by a tick. Turns out, he was diagnosed with AML. But there is good news.  Tune in as Harry shares his transplant story and Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease (cGVHD) issues that began in 2019. He had thickening of the fascia – the layer of tissue below the...

Lisa Loutzenhiser was 56 years-old when she felt off in December. It was the holidays, and she was simply just exhausted. A teacher, she carried on until she needed to finally call in sick one day. Her diagnosis in late January was AML, and the journey began with her transplant in May of 2020. Oh, and let's add COVID to the story too.  Lisa will share her Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) story inc...

Welcome to Season 6 of the Marrow Masters podcast series, sponsored by the National Bone Marrow Transplant Link, Incyte Corporation and Kadmon. The National Bone Marrow Transplant link, established in 1992, strives to help patients, caregivers, and their families cope with the psycho-social challenges of transplant, from diagnosis through survivorship.  Season 6 focuses on advice for dealing with...

Welcome to Marrow Masters, Season Five, sponsored by the National Bone Marrow Transplant Link, Seagen, Omeros 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 five, join Peggy Burkhar...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 aggre...

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...

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 survivo...

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...

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. T...

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 Seaso...

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 th...

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 love...