LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Dave Jones of Maumelle said he’s been fortunate in life so far, never having had major medical issues interfere along the way. The active, married, father, had been enjoying retirement until he got some troubling news after a routine physical exam in 2019.
“My PCP, in the course of my annual physical, discovered that some of the blood numbers weren't right, and it concerned him”, said Jones.
He said that the blood work showed some abnormalities. His red and white blood cells, and platelet counts were lower than they should be. Dave decided to consult with a hematologist, who ordered a full workup to determine whether it could be a form of blood cancer.
The results confirmed what Dave had feared— he had a rare condition called “Myelodysplastic Syndrome”, or MDS.
Through friends, Dave learned that physicians in Arkansas at the University of Arkansas Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute in Little Rock treated patients with his unusual condition.
He said knowing he wouldn’t have to travel far to receive quality care was reassuring. He recalls his first meeting with Dr. Muthu Kumaran, a cancer specialist and the clinical director of the UAMS Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program, as the first time he felt hope since receiving the diagnosis.
“Once I was able to get an appointment with Dr. Kumaran, and I met with him, I immediately took a liking to him. His style was a very good match to mine. He was conversational. He seemed to know what he was doing, which gave me confidence. He said, ‘There's a plan’. So, all these things made me feel like there's someone here who knows what's going on, and I can trust him to do something about it," Jones described.
Dr. Kumaran confirmed Dave’s diagnosis of high-risk MDS and said the most promising option for treatment would depend on several factors.
“Not every patient can go through a stem cell transplant,” Dr. Kumaran said.
He said he evaluated Dave’s excellent physical health and his relatively younger age in making the decision over whether to go forward with a stem cell transplant.
“When we diagnosed him with high-risk MDS, the curable option at this point is an allogeneic stem cell transplant, which is basically replacing his blood-forming stem cells with a different donor, who can be a good match. That is the only curable option at this point in time for myelodysplastic syndrome," he explained.
It took two tries and nearly two months to find the right bone marrow donor match for Dave. Once that happened, he says he wasn't willing to waste another minute, and despite the difficult procedure he was facing, it was all systems go.
“We're at the height of COVID-19 in 2020. Everything's in lockdown. I've got no immune system. So, December 1, I go into the hospital, and they lock me down in preparation for doing chemo to kill everything off so that they can come back in and do the transplant. And they did the transplant right around the 10th of December," Jones said. "Then, it was about just recovering from the transplant and trying to get the body working again."
Dr. Kumaran added that the transplant went quite well, and Dave was home in time for Christmas that year.
Now, four years after the procedure, Dave's prognosis is excellent. Dr. Kumaran said that outcomes like Dave’s are what keep him and his medical team inspired, energized, and ready to save another life.
“Being close to four years, the chance of recurrence comes down to a lower percentage. So, he has done very well. His counts have remained very good, very robust blood counts, and he does not have any rejection at this point in time. He's off all the medication, like the anti-rejection medicines, so he's able to, you know, enjoy what he likes to do in his life. Patients like Mr. Jones keep me and my team going. That's a success story of how they beat cancer and are able to enjoy life to the maximum," Dr. Kumaran said.
And Dave is doing just as the doctor ordered.
“Live," he said. "It’s just life. Do what you want to do. Do what you should do and get all of life. And I was fortunate enough to be able to do that."