Mike
In the spring of 2018, Mike was working out and thought he had pulled a muscle in his back. Later, as he was walking, he took an awkward step. Something didn’t feel right. Mike went to physical therapy and quickly realized his pain wasn’t muscle related.
Mike got an MRI and was diagnosed with a compression fracture in his T12 vertebrae. His doctors subsequently found a lesion and discovered he had multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that develops in the bone marrow. Cancer had been the root cause of his deteriorating vertebrae. Mike was 54.
“I had been physically active and hadn’t had any major health issues before my cancer diagnosis,” Mike said earnestly. “I didn’t smoke or drink very much, and I maintained my weight. But blood cancer runs in my family. My dad had lymphoma, and my brother had leukemia. We have a genetic disposition for blood cancers.”
Mike was diagnosed with stage one bone cancer and had major back surgery in Lubbock, Texas, where he and his family were living at the time. During Mike’s surgery, rods were placed to stabilize his vertebrae.
Following surgery, Mike underwent chemotherapy for four months. Then, in 2019, Mike had an autologous stem cell transplant. “It was brutal,” he said soberly. “I called it ‘immune system 2.0.’ They basically gut your immune system and reboot it. The side effects were not pretty. I lost my hair and had neuropathy from my knees down. For six weeks, my lower legs were excruciatingly painful. It was hard to sleep because it hurt so much. I tried some medication, but it didn’t do a whole lot. It was really hard.”
A new state of mind
Mike has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a PhD in nutrition sciences, and four years after his stem cell transplant, he was hired as Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. “Multiple myeloma is not something you really cure. You must stay on top of it,” Mike said. “So I knew I would need excellent medical care in Wisconsin.”
Mike began looking into his options. “The University of Minnesota and Mayo were obvious choices, but I really didn’t want to face that kind of drive regularly. I researched it further and found you could get the same quality of treatment at the Cancer Center of Western Wisconsin (CCWW).”
As a Wisconsin resident, Mike now looks forward to his trips to the CCWW Baldwin clinic. “It’s a therapeutic drive along country roads,” Mike said. “And the clinic itself is wonderful. I receive truly excellent care in such a nice environment. I’m friends with all the ladies in the infusion department. We laugh together, and it feels like family. I didn’t have that in Texas. There, it was more of an assembly line approach. Here, they joke with you, and everyone knows your name. It’s so much more friendly.”
Faith and hope
Through Mike’s cancer journey, he has found great comfort in his Christian faith and says having a solid support network has also been vital. “I believe the Lord is looking out for me,” Mike said, adding, “my family and my church family have been so important to me.”
As a scientist, perspective has also been central to Mike’s approach to multiple myeloma. “The word ‘cancer,’ doesn’t have the same meaning that it had decades ago. There are so many treatments out there,” he said. “Don’t fear it. Don’t think of it as a death sentence. The longer you keep going, the better the treatment options are.”
Relapse and recovery
When Mike and his family first moved to Wisconsin, his cancer was in maintenance mode. “However, while I was here, my cancer numbers started to creep back up,” Mike said. “One of my medications clearly wasn’t effective anymore. So at the Baldwin clinic, I started a more intensive treatment. I followed a three-drug protocol from February through August. One of the drugs gave me hiccups for up to six hours,” he chuckled. “Now I’m back in maintenance mode, with one drug administered every four weeks—and no side effects.”
“The treatment I received in Baldwin was actually more effective than the treatment I received six years ago in Texas,” Mike said. “The medical advancements are much more targeted in terms of how they attack cancer cells. My markers are as low now as they were right after the stem cell transplant.”
Family-style care
Mike’s wife has been a constant source of support and encouragement for Mike throughout his cancer journey, and now, she is the one in need. “In the fall of 2023, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Mike said. “Due to watching me and my cancer experience, she knew some of what to expect.” Fortunately, she is doing quite well now.
“I think it’s important for cancer patients to realize that at CCWW, they will get the quality of care you’d expect at the Mayo Clinic, but close to home,” Mike said. “Plus, all the locations are connected! It’s a great system.”
According to Mike, Wisconsin is a wonderful place to live, and should you need it, it’s a comforting place to receive cancer care, too.
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