My Decision to Receive CAR-T Cell Therapy for Multiple Myeloma

When Mindy's previous treatment stopped working for multiple myeloma, she opted for CAR-T cell therapy.

Following an infection that was resistant to treatment and a few “extra” blood tests, the doctor advised me to see a hematologist (that was OK!) or an oncologist (not so good to hear). In January 2007, the diagnosis of multiple myeloma was followed by several “new normals” for my family and me.

Let the journey begin. What is myeloma? How do my husband and I tell and support my daughters (one finishing high school and the other in college)? How do I support my husband? Will I survive this? Who will be there to support me? What treatments will I need? Can I trust my doctor to provide the best treatment for me? Who are all these strange people in the clinic? What about my friends? My co-workers? Would they treat me the same? Who will understand what I am going through? After letting the diagnosis set in, while I was ready to fight this battle, I did not realize what a challenge this would be. I was faced with so many factors out of my control.

Fast forward 16 years. It took lots of energy, questioning, researching and talking. Some of my questions and fears were addressed, but new ones were constantly popping up. I remained in the working world for more than 13 years, sometimes walking from my office building to Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, Virginia for treatment. One autologous (my stem cells) transplant. One allogeneic (donor) transplant. Yes, I am now my brother! And thank goodness for my brother’s loving generosity. Seven years of partial remission after transplants. What happened during these 16 years? Too many times, I heard that my numbers were stable followed by the news that my numbers were slowly climbing. More treatment regimens. It was an emotional roller coaster as I moved forward.

I cherished amazing inspiration, support and laughs from my dear family, my health care team, friends and other myeloma colleagues. I had completed several half-marathons to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; organized and co-led a local International Myeloma Foundation support group; and volunteered at Massey Cancer Center. These activities kept me connected with my community, others who were impacted and it raised my resiliency.

The best celebrations enriching my life that I never expected was witnessing my daughters become beautiful, caring, compassionate, strong professional women; becoming a mother-in-law; and then becoming a grandmother! Life goes on in beautiful ways. For this, I am grateful.

In 2023 — after two years of a specific treatment regimen that kept my numbers stable — that tricky myeloma figured out a way to stump us again. Now what? CAR-T cell therapy? Bispecific antibodies? How grateful that I have options, but still anxious moving forward. I chose CAR-T cell therapy for the “one and done” option. The beginning of my CAR-T cell therapy journey was a little scary and only a bit bumpy. But, it was well worth the effort to power through! Twelve months after CAR-T cell therapy, I am still in complete remission and living my best life!

My favorite sayings during my journey have been “This too shall pass” and “It is what it is.” If I could use two words to describe my journey, they are “hope” and “resilience.” How are hope and resilience part of your story?

This post was written and submitted by Mindy C. Fast. The article reflects the views of Fast and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.

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