Veteran stunned by cancer diagnosis chronicles her treatment journey to help others
Imagine going to the emergency room (ER) with a swollen foot and shortness of breath and leaving with a cancer diagnosis. U.S. Navy Veteran Adele Doctor doesn’t have to imagine this scenario—she lived it.
A tough reality
Her decision to visit the ER at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in December 2023 probably saved her life.
While in the ER, biopsies were ordered that revealed abnormalities in this Veteran’s kidneys and bone marrow. Doctors shared the test results and the sobering diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a cancer of mature plasma cells in the bone marrow.
Approximately 32,000 cases of multiple myeloma are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, accounting for 1% of all cancers diagnosed, according to a National Library of Medicine report from 2022.
Adele Doctor needed to begin chemotherapy immediately.
“I had to take a minute,” she said. “I had been feeling fine before this. I didn’t know I was that sick.”
Starting the journey
She put graduate school on hold, yet this 64-year-old does not regret walking into the emergency department that day.
Three months later, she is nearly halfway through her chemotherapy treatment.
“The ER doctors were on their game,” she said. “They knew what to test for, and the way the doctor looked at me, I knew this was not normal.”
Like many people with an unexpected diagnosis, Doctor searched online for information about her condition. She found very few people getting treatment for multiple myeloma and no one in their 60s.
“I wanted to find a video about what people went through at my age,” she said.
Since the resource she sought did not exist, she decided to create her own by capturing her journey to serve as a reference for future Veterans facing a similar diagnosis. She began journaling and posting medical updates on YouTube, providing insight and practical experience along her treatment path.
“It’s such a rare condition, I wanted to know how someone my age might handle the intensive treatment plan,” said Doctor. “Documenting the process also helps me share it with family.”
The DARA plan
The treatment includes daratumumab (DARA), a targeted cancer drug given through weekly chemotherapy over four months. After chemo, oncologists will assess if she is a candidate for a stem cell transplant, which would encourage the reproduction of healthy cells.
Her providers will also test Doctor’s own stem cells to determine if they can be used for the transplant, which would eliminate the need for her to wait on the national registry for a donor match.
Dr. Alexander Hayden, a hematology and oncology fellow at VA, said DARA is standard protocol for treating multiple myeloma and gives patients the chance to have longer remission from their disease and prolong survival. Remission signifies that the signs and symptoms of the cancer have diminished or gone away.
Staying positive
This Veteran has an entire VA team caring for her, including an oncologist, cardiologist and nutritionist. She is impressed with the quality of care at VA and is confident in her doctors.
“As for my outlook, I’m feeling good,” said Doctor. “I’m hopeful all will go as planned, and this will go into remission.”
For more information on cancer and blood disorders at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, visit hematology/oncology services.
- - - - -
April Love is a writer-editor on the VISN 19 Creative Task Force. She began working for VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System in 2016 and lives in Aurora, Colorado.