Patient Testimonial - "One in Four Million"
OCTOBER 2020: Imagine living 70 years of relatively good health and then one day learning you have a blood disorder that left untreated would be fatal. That is what happened to Sioux City native Daniel Parker in August 2020.
Dan was diagnosed with Acquired Hemophilia A by the June E. Nylen Cancer Center (JENCC) after being in MercyOne’s emergency department and having follow up care by his family practitioner Dr. Steven Joyce for a cellulitis infection in his leg. It was during that follow up care that Dr. Joyce said the swelling in Daniel’s arm was a different issue, unrelated. He referred Dan to the Cancer Center.
In his first visit to JENCC, Dan had numerous vials of blood drawn which led to the diagnosis of his rare blood disorder.
Only 1 in 4 million have Acquired Hemophilia A which inhibits the clotting factor in blood. For example, Dan says a normal clotting factor level would be 100 and his was only at 1. His arm was swollen because there was 2 pints of blood between his skin and the soft tissue. If this had not been caught and the blood drawn out of the arm, his blood would have continued to leak from his system because inhibitors were wiping out his clotting factors and he would have eventually bled out.
While there was no explanation for how or why Dan acquired this blood disorder, Dr. Abu at JENCC told him upfront that it was “treatable and curable.” Dan was so impressed at how Dr. Abu could explain his medical condition, the treatment plan, possible side effects, and overall, what he and his wife of 51 years, Mary, should expect.
Dan is having 8 infusions of a “cocktail” treatment including Rituximab and Cyclophosphamide with pre-meds. Each takes 7 hours. Dan has one infusion left and then Dr. Abu will assess further plans. Dan’s bad inhibitor levels started at 135 and are currently at 35 but Dan says Dr. Abu wants to get them even lower.
“I had no idea the June E. Nylen Cancer Center did all this with blood too,” said Dan. “What a great facility, great doctors, great nurses, and A+ staff. Dr. Abu saved my life. What first-rate treatment here!”
Dr. Abu deflects Dan’s comment and says Dr. Joyce actually saved Dan’s life because he suspected a blood related issue and referred him quickly to the Nylen Cancer Center.
Like Dan, even if you don’t have cancer, you may be treated by a JENCC medical oncologist because they are also board certified as hematologists. Decades ago, most medicines developed to fight cancer had bone marrow suppression as their main side effect so doctors dealing with those medicines had to understand treating blood conditions as well. Hematology is the treatment of blood disorders, blood diseases, and conditions with the blood. Your blood affects all other organs as it flows through the body and therefore abnormalities in your blood can cause concern.
The June E. Nylen Cancer Center physicians and staff provide services for thousands of hematology-related visits each year. We are dedicated to your personalized blood-related care just as we are to our cancer patients.
