Cancer and Clinical Services Patient Stories

A team always on-point

He got the call just as he was leaving the gym. How could someone who felt so healthy have acute myeloid leukemia (AML)? “I lost a sister to leukemia, so I was shocked and scared,” says Drake Mosby. “I was left with a lot of thoughts and spent about three hours just staring at the walls. Telling my family was tough.”

The first time Drake had heard about The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) was in connection to Pelotonia, the three-day experience of cycling, entertainment and volunteerism that raises millions of dollars for cancer research. “I never thought I’d be a patient there, but I had heard a lot of good things about it, so the decision to go there was pretty easy,” he says. “My family was in Cleveland, and I know a lot of people want to feel close to home during treatment, but I wanted to go where I needed to survive.”

Drake understands the emotions involved in choosing the right place for cancer care, but he emphasizes the importance of finding the right experts. His AML came back twice after his initial remission, and among other health challenges, he battled through difficult side effects from three rounds of chemo, multiple bone marrow transplants and a round of sepsis, an extreme response to an infection that is a life-threatening medical emergency. As he describes all of this, Drake stresses that his entire care team, including current hematologists Alice Mims, MD, and Karilyn Larkin, MD, were “always on point,” adding, “The nurses and nurse practitioners in the hospital and hematology clinic were great as well. They always gave excellent care.”

“I always felt that everyone was on top of things and knew what they were doing,” he says. “I never had to chase down answers, and if something was off, they followed up and made sure issues were handled before they got worse. Because there was no delay in my care, I felt there was never a stone unturned and recovered from each setback quickly.”

He’s quick to add, “At the same time, they were just so nice — and they knew me for me. Even during COVID, when I couldn’t have visitors, I never felt alone at The James.” The nurses and PCAs were always there in the room taking care of me or checking on me to make sure I was OK.

Now years post-treatment, Drake has moved, but returns to The James for follow-up care. “I could have transferred to another doctor, but I don’t mind the drive back to Columbus. This is where I’m comfortable, and this is where I’m confident that they’ll do whatever’s needed to take care of me.”