Medical Stories
Cells in Crisis
S6 • E8 Jun 30, 2024
In Dowagiac, Michigan, Medical Stories meets with Duane, a 75-year-old husband and father who learned he had a treatable form of bladder cancer. While Duane was shocked by the news, he wasn't alone in facing this battle. Throughout his ordeal, his daughter, Kristen, helped him find the right doctor and the right treatment to manage his cancer. Her support is why despite his diagnosis, Duane said he's "the luckiest guy in the world." Then, Medical Stories travels to Palm Beach, Florida, to focus on the story of Carlos, an Air Force veteran with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). When Carlos eventually discovered his CLL had progressed to the worst stage of the disease, "you could have sucked the air out of the room," according to his daughter, Elena. But his story didn't end there. Carlos, now 87, told Medical Stories how his family and his doctor helped him find a way forward with an alternative option that allowed him to avoid chemotherapy while still fighting back against his illness. "Cells in Crisis" also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Peter H. O'Donnell, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center, and Jacqueline C. Barrientos, MD, MS, Chief of Hematologic Malignancies, Director of Oncological Research, Mount Sinai Medical Center of Florida.
