F E A T U R E
COMPETING IN THE GAME OF LIFE
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Samuel underwent an aggressive treatment called an autologous stem cell transplant, which wiped out the cancer and put him on the road to recovery.
Scripps doctors and nurses encourage their patients to be up and active, to keep their bodies—and their outlooks—as strong as possible.
“He's a very dynamic individual, with a great deal of positivity and gumption.”
James Mason, MD, Hematologist and Oncologist, Scripps Clinic
It’s a harrowing process. But putting the stem cells back in the body only takes about an hour,” Samuel says, “It’s weirdly anti-climactic.” Administered through an IV, the stem cells find their way back into a patient’s bones where, within a couple of weeks, the production of blood cells resumes—minus the cancer. PLAYING FOR THE WIN The concept of autologous stem cell transplantation has been around for decades and was fairly well established when Dr. Mason entered the field in 1991. However, the last 40 years have seen many refinements, beginning with how stem cells are collected. “Patients in those days had to have a true bone marrow transplant, where you literally had to go into the patient beforehand with very long needles and extract bone marrow in the operating room,” he says. Today, patients receive a course of medication that induces bone marrow stem cells to enter the bloodstream. The blood gets drawn from one arm, the stem cells are filtered out with a centrifuge, then the blood is immediately returned into the other arm. “At any given moment,” the doctor points out, “only a very small amount of blood is actually outside of the patient.” Other advances making the process less debilitating include more effective antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antinausea medications. That means patients have more energy with which to heal. But that doesn’t mean more bed rest. In fact, the doctors at Scripps encourage their patients to be up and active, to keep their bodies—and their outlooks—as strong as possible. “We want them up and about, even in the middle of the transplant,” Dr. Mason says. “We want them walking around and exercising.”
“SCRIPPS DOCTORS AND NURSES ARE EXPERTS, NOT JUST IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE, BUT IN THE PRACTICE OF HUMANITY.”
—BRAD SAMUEL
mounted by the nurses station, a crowd gathered to cheer him along. He praised his Scripps doctors and nurses, whom he calls “experts, not just in the practice of medicine, but in the practice of humanity.” And, of course, he credits the lifesaving advanced medicine practiced by the Scripps Blood and Marrow Transplant Program. But Samuel has no doubt that, at that moment the medicine had done everything in its power, a winning attitude pushed him over the top. “Nobody can tell me that, if it’s a tiebreaker, your mind can’t push it over the edge one way or the other,” he says. “Don't give up hope. Ever. Double-down on it.” To learn more about Scripps Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, visit Scripps.org/SDBMT.
And that’s where having a guy like Brad Samuel can make a difference for other patients and staff. “He's a very dynamic individual, with a great deal of positivity and gumption,” notes Dr. Mason. Heading into his treatment, Samuel pieced together a daily exercise regimen with the help of his brother, Derek, a master physical therapist who helps elite athletes recover from injury, including champion golfers and All-Pro NFL players. Rather than a hospital gown he walked his hundred laps a day in gym clothes, greeting and connecting with everyone on the wing: doctors, nurses and custodial staff, in addition to fellow patients. Several even took to joining his workouts. “We got a crew of people,” Samuel says. “What an incredible vibe it gave people on the floor.” On the day Samuel finally rang the bell
24 SAN DIEGO HEALTH | FALL 2023
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