Finding Strength After Setbacks: Real Stories from Relapsed & Refractory Blood Cancer Patients

Dalton joined HealthTree in 2024 as the MPNs and MDS Program Manager. He is passionate about helping patients gain a better understanding of their health and treatment and sees it as a way to help empower individuals and their families who are affected by these diseases. Prior to joining HealthTree Dalton earned a Master’s Degree in Oncological Sciences while studying various different blood cancers. When not interacting with patients he is an avid snowboarder and hiker.

Harvey was diagnosed in May of 2021 when he discovered a tumor on my right femur. Shortly after surgery to remove the tumor he started treatment of 2 rounds of VDT- Pace, then on to 2 stem cell transplants. His FIsH test revealed he had 4/14 and chromosome 1q deletion 1p. On 2/17/22 he was considered in remission.  He was on maintenance through 2022 but his levels climbed in 23 so he switched to Darzalex Faspro. During his second round of treatment he developed a tumor on his jaw. He received his third stem cell transplant, but the tumor continued to grow. He started teclistamab in the fall of 2023. After a few weeks his jaw tumor was gone and his levels were considered at complete response. He has been amazed at his progress. While some of the treatment have been short lived the bi-specifics have shown great promise. He has been married to his wife Carol for 36 years, has two grown children and three grandchildren. He worked as a banker for 38 years, and retired as the Chief Operating Officer of TriStar Bank in December (though he continues to serve on the bank's board). His family enjoys spending time at their lake house where Harvey's hobbies are mostly related to lake life.

am a retired Engineering and Operations executive. I have been very healthy and full of energy all my life until Sept 06, 2024 when I was diagnosed with AML. After 3 rounds of chemo and a month long hospital stay I was in remission. I was fast tracked for Stem Cell Transplant which took place on Jan 6, 2025. I’ve been in recovery and rebuilding my life since that time. All my treatments have taken place at MD Anderson main campus in Houston, TX. I live in the Houston area but have taken an apartment in the med center area as a lifestyle enhancement while being treated at MD Anderson. I am,now registered as an AML cancer coach to help others going through the same journey that I am navigating.

Ronald Singletary is 69 years old and a retired Electrical Engineer and formally the Sr. Director of Sales Development at Synopsys 1995-2016. He was diagnosed with Essential Thrombocythemia (aka ET increased platelets in 2001). After 23 years of escalating drug therapy with hydroxyurea, his ET blood cancer began to progress to Myelofibrosis (MF) at the beginning of 2025. After reviewing options with his Hematology doctor at Kaiser, She referred him to Stanford to determine if a bone marrow transplant (BMT) would be a viable option. Stanford’s BMT team concluded that he was not currently eligible for a BMT at this stage of the progression but he was accepted into a clinical trial at Stanford that targets his mutated calreticulin (mutCALR), which is a common driver mutation in MPNs. The clinical trial is known as INCA033989 and sponsored by Incyte, a global biopharmaceutical company. He just started his second infusion of this new monoclonal antibodies that is designed to bind exclusively to the abnormal mutCALR with the goal to block the biological processes of the progression.