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Spring Survey 2012 Results

Hope for the Future

Program: Advances in Stem Cell Transplants
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Andrew Schorr:

Here's just a Patient Power minute, I'm going to say for a second here. So there you are. You're diagnosed with something pretty serious. A leukemia you never heard of, multiple myeloma, maybe one of these subtypes of even a solid tumor. I would consult with a place where they really specialize in this, and M.D. Anderson is one of the leaders. So there's all sorts of information on the M.D. Anderson website, how to do that. And then as you heard in Eddie's case, and it was the same for me in Seattle, where my community oncologist was then in direct touch with these leaders and subspecialists like Dr. Kebriaei, and then there can be that discussion.

Eddie, I want to get just a final comment from you. So you've been all through this and it's worked out well. What's your hope for the future? And what would you say to a listener who hopes to have things turn out like they have for you?

Eddie:

Well, the second part first is get the best care you can that you can afford, your insurance can afford, because you only want to do this once. You don't want to have a failure and go through it over. Some people do.

Hopes for the future, just to be healthy a happy if it can help other people.

Andrew Schorr:

Well, I have some hopes for you. You're so neat, and I know that's going to be quite a reunion in-person if you get to meet the lady from Germany who donated the cells for you.

And that's something we need to say of course. Whether it's organ donation, being typed, having your bone marrow typed, I'd recommend it to everyone because you can see what a difference it can make, and it made a difference for Eddie.

Eddie, all the best to you and your family, Teresa, the kids.

Eddie:

Thank you, Andrew.

Andrew Schorr:

All the best. Thank you for joining us.

And, Dr. Kebriaei, you have seen a moving target as you've come along in your medical career with transplant. Now it's open to more people in less toxic ways. Are you optimistic that you can continue to refine it and move the field forward?

Dr. Kebriaei:

Very optimistic. I mean certainly we still have a lot of room for improvement, but I think as we're gaining a better understanding of the immunology of these stem cells and what they can do I'm very optimistic that we'll be able to continue to improve the treatments and hopefully have more outcomes like Eddie's.

Andrew Schorr:

Well, we wish you all the best. I know you're a busy lady. You've got two little kids yourself. We're going to let you go home, but I want to thank you. And, Eddie, I know you have, as you mentioned, earlier a real message of thanks to Dr. Kebriaei and the whole team at M.D. Anderson.

Eddie:

Absolutely.

Andrew Schorr:

Absolutely is right. And me too, for all the people who have helped me. I want to thank you for joining us.

A replay of our program will be posted tomorrow probably on the M.D. Anderson site. We have all these other programs including supporting people when you may be at M.D. Anderson for an extended time, not just the patient but the whole family.

And in two weeks we'll have another webcast and that's going to deal with what affects many people with cancer, and that is cancer pain. And we're going to have with us an expert on that, as always. That's Dr. Allen Burton, who will be our guest then, and you can e-mail in questions. Thank you so much for joining us. And, as always, remember knowledge can be the best medicine of all. In Seattle I'm Andrew Schorr. Have a good night.

Please remember the opinions expressed on Patient Power are not necessarily the views of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, its medical staff or Patient Power. Our discussions are not a substitute for seeking medical advice or care from your own doctor. That’s how you’ll get care that’s most appropriate for you.

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