Cancer and Clinical Services Patient Stories

A mother of five and grandmother of eight, Susan Powers was living and loving a beautiful life. And while her right hip was increasingly bothering her, Sue (as friends and family call her) had no reason to believe anything was wrong. After all, she was always busy, always active and always in good health.

As her hip kept nagging her, however, she decided to visit the doctor. At her appointment, Sue had blood work done, but after she left, the office called and told her to return right away. A second blood test confirmed it: something was definitely wrong.

Just five years previously, Sue’s husband lost his battle with lung cancer, so she was familiar with her local cancer center. And it was there that she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. After undergoing a bone marrow biopsy, Sue was referred to The James, where she enrolled in a groundbreaking and highly promising clinical trial for patients 60 years or older.

The trial treatment had Sue taking one daily pill. Throughout the treatment, however, she experienced complications and was hospitalized. 

Sue had rarely ever been sick, but she had been to the hospital many times with her husband. It was entirely new to be on the patient side of things, she shared, “but I was determined to fight.” And fight she did, right alongside a team of highly specialized experts who were determined to see her well again.

“The people at The James are amazing,” Sue said. “Their understanding and ability to explain things to me was so helpful, and they were genuine and personable. Even the nurses recognized me during my visits, and that made me feel much better too.”

Throughout treatment, Sue’s five adult children took turns spending the day with her. And after her three weeks in The James, she was able to be seen as an outpatient, at which point she continued blood transfusions for three months. Today, she is in remission and has been since winter 2018.

Still taking her daily pill, Sue is once again enjoying a beautiful life with her kids and now 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She also works out every morning with a group of dear friends, and she relishes taking care of her new grandson twice a week.

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Susan discusses her cancer journey and her experience at the OSUCCC – James.