“This wasn’t just a generic situation where you’re told to put your head down and stand in line. My treatment was something I made decisions about. I was on a team with Fox Chase Cancer Center.”‐Michael Ples
My cancer journey started one day in the summer of 2022 when I discovered what felt like a pimple on the back of my neck. The next day, the “pimple” had vanished, but two weeks later it was back, and this time it didn’t go away. Over just a few days, it grew so rapidly that I finally went to a local hospital to get it checked out.
After two months of testing, the doctors still couldn’t give me a definitive answer. Meanwhile, the welt on my neck had grown to the point where I couldn’t even turn my head to the right. That’s when I decided to go to Fox Chase Cancer Center.
A Rare Cancer Diagnosis
I chose Fox Chase because my former wife had gone through treatment for thyroid cancer there, and I liked how she was treated. My very first appointment was with the oncologist who would eventually save my life, Dr. Marcus Messmer. We went over my test results from the other hospital, and then he looked me in the eye and told me that I not only had cancer, but that it was an incredibly rare form called mantle cell lymphoma.
I was stunned. I’d been at a hospital for two months and they couldn’t diagnose me. But now this doctor who had seen me one time was suddenly saying I had a rare cancer? I wanted another opinion, so I made an appointment with an oncologist at a different health center.
She agreed that I did indeed have mantle cell lymphoma, and the treatment plan she proposed sounded harrowing. It started with multiple forms of chemo, ended with a bone marrow transplant, and would last a year or more. When I asked if there were any other options, she told me that this was the protocol and we wouldn’t be deviating.
Tailored Treatment at Fox Chase
At that time I was 69, and I had a life. I didn’t want to come out of this looking like a Q-tip, eating applesauce, and staring out the window for what might be the last years of my life. So I called Dr. Messmer’s office, and he convinced me to come back and talk to him one more time. When I shared the other oncologist’s treatment protocol, he told me he had a different plan. “This treatment will be contoured to you,” he said, and we would work together to make decisions about what would happen.
We decided to start with three months of chemotherapy. Each month I’d get two treatments on back-to-back days, and after the three months, we’d reassess. As Dr. Messmer reasoned, why do a bunch of other crazy stuff if this treatment might work on its own? My type of lymphoma is so rare, it has to be treated on a case-by-case basis. We’d see what worked for me.
Even though I live more than an hour away from Fox Chase, Dr. Messmer insisted I come to the center for chemotherapy because he wanted to be there with me, in person. He also told me that if I ever felt too unwell to make the drive home, he’d find me a place to stay that night. What doctor does that? But it’s how he did everything: He made a plan, told me what would happen, and stayed by my side throughout.
Even though I had a good response after three months of chemotherapy, which Dr. Messmer said was encouraging, I ended up receiving treatment for a total of six months. Typically, the treatment gets more intense after the first three months, but because I had a lot of side effects during the initial treatment, Dr. Messmer and I agreed not to ramp up my chemotherapy for the last three months.
Treatment as Teamwork
The crazy thing about Fox Chase is that every single person seems to genuinely care about you. I remember the first time I went for chemo: I sat down in the waiting room with 20 other people, and a woman rolled up with a cart of goodies. She must have sensed I was nervous because she stood and talked with me, and it made me feel less alone. And she was just a volunteer pushing a cart!
The chemo nurses did everything they could to make me comfortable: gave me drinks, covered me in blankets, and even held my hand while I got the shot. Plus, every time I went back, they knew my name. I told one nurse, “God almighty, you all must see hundreds of people. How do you remember my name?” She said, “You’re important to us, and we want you to know that.”
After every chemo session, as soon as I got home, Dr. Messmer called to ask how I was feeling. He insisted I call him about even the most minor detail. If my eye twitched, he wanted to know! He said treating my cancer was a team effort, and sharing these details was my responsibility. It made me feel empowered. This wasn’t just a generic situation where you’re told to put your head down and stand in line. My treatment was something I made decisions about. I was on a team with Fox Chase Cancer Center.
Sharing Hope
In November 2022, Dr. Messmer told me the treatment had worked. After six months of chemo, the cancer was gone. I was so astonished and grateful, I cried.
I know I’m not in the clear. Statistics show that mantle cell lymphoma comes back every two to eight years. But Dr. Messmer said if or when the cancer comes back, he has a plan for me. For now, I’m 71 years old, I still have all my hair, I can bench press 190 pounds six times, and I volunteer with chemo patients at a local hospital. My goal is to let them know this isn’t the end. I never would have believed that if I hadn’t had this experience at Fox Chase.
Learn more about treatment for lymphoma at Fox Chase Cancer Center.