Skip to content

Good news!

Published on 65 Comments on Good news!

This morning I got a call from the transplant folks and I now have a date for my CAR-T treatment. I'll do a bunch of testing over the next two weeks followed by a plasma collection in early September. The plasma will then be shipped off to the CAR-T factory, where it will be turned into personalized cancer-killing T-cells. The treatment itself will take place in early October, and after that it's just a matter of waiting and hoping that my response is strong and the side effects are mild.

Assuming everything goes well, total recovery time will likely be a few months and I will be cancer free (sort of) by 2023. This treatment is still pretty new, however, so there's no telling how well I'll respond or how long it will last. If I'm average, it will last at least a couple of years, during which I'll need no chemo at all.

For those of you curious to know more, the treatment is called Carvykti and you can read more just by googling it. It was originally developed in China and is marketed in the US by Johnson & Johnson. It was approved by the FDA in February.

65 thoughts on “Good news!”

  10. ashladblog

    A friend was diagnosed with multiple myeloma not long ago. I’m not sure of his treatment details, but have you calculated a return on investment Carvykti? I recall you saying it’s not cheap, but neither is on-going chemo and other drugs. So, aside from quality of life, what do the insurance actuaries think? Is 2-3 yr of no treatment worth more or less than a “cure?” My friend may not qualify for Carvykti for a while, but if it’s a financial as well as medical benefit, then approval and availability can only come for him sooner than later.

  21. dspcole

    Well good on ya! Best wishes and I look forward to hearing the stories of your journey.
    PS is this anything like Cardi B?

Comments are closed.