Kansas City, Kan- Lou Sears, a former teacher diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2013, shared her journey of overcoming the disease through clinical trials and innovative treatments like CAR-T and BITE therapies.
Initially misdiagnosed with a flu, Lou's condition worsened to critical levels before her diagnosis. She has since achieved partial remission and now mentors other cancer patients. Dr. Al Ola Abdullah, her hematologist, explained the evolution of myeloma treatments, noting improvements from a two-year survival rate to 15 years. Lou's story highlights the importance of clinical trials, patient advocacy, and living with hope.
Lou Sears, patient
- Lou recounts her initial symptoms, which included sudden fatigue and a high fever, with no prior warning signs.
- Lou and her husband, David, co-authored a book titled "Living with Hope," sharing their journey and offering hope to others.
- She advises patients to live with hope and find support systems to help them through their journey.
Dr. Al-Ola Abdallah, Director of Plasma Cell Disorder Program, The University of Kansas Cancer Center
- Dr. Abdallah describes how normal plasma cells produce antibodies to fight infections, while defective plasma cells in multiple myeloma produce harmful proteins.
- He explains that while multiple myeloma is not curable, treatments have improved significantly over the past 30-40 years.
- Dr. Abdallah aims to bring these advanced treatments to patients in Kansas, reducing the need for travel to other facilities.
Tuesday, September 30th is All Things Brain Health: Stroke and Recovery
Every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke, but this patient never thought it would happen to them…
But it did. It happened during a job interview. Hear how early intervention helped improve his outcome and what you should know if you encounter someone having a stroke.
ATTENTION MEDIA: Please note access is with Microsoft Teams:
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 235 659 792 451
Passcode: 6CSfGE
Download Teams | Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+1 913-318-8863,566341546# United States, Kansas City
TVU Grid link: UoK_Health_SDI
Restream links: Facebook.com/kuhospital
YouTube.com/kuhospital
Send advance questions to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.