Loaded Up and Ready to Fight
I took my new CAR-T cells out for a walk this evening. There’s only so much sitting around I can do; but also it’s 90 degrees and humid out there, so we stopped for a brief respite in a park along the way. I’m looking forward to it cooling down here in a day or so and being able to walk a bit more, if all continues well.
Today went well. Labs fine and tolerated the whole process uneventfully. Truly the main challenge came from the Benadryl which tends to knock me out a bit. Now the $64,000 question is whether I’ll experience any side effects (fever, neurotoxicity) or anything that might need me admitted to the hospital for a bit to monitor. It’s a 50/50 bet but not much I can do about it either way. I’ll continue to hope for the best and be monitored daily. We’ll see how it goes.
Meanwhile, it’s somewhat amazing that my newly infused CAR-T cells are busy dividing and hunting for rogue lymphoma cells while I just sit here on the couch. I won’t get political and rail about the lack of current funding for science, but none of what is happening today was around 15 years ago, and none of it would have been possible without the amazing, dedicated scientists and clinicians at Dana-Farber and around the world.
Go CAR-T cells go! May they keep multiplying and going after those unwanted lymphoma cells! Sending love and positivity to you, Michael. And I couldn't agree more about the power of scientific research. Warmly, Debbie
Science is love! Did you read the online Globe article about Gordon and his science partner/wife Alice(?) today? Great long read about the value of basic science and the accelleration of discovery. Amazing benefits as you have pointed out!