Immunopatient

About Immunopatient

I am Immunopatient. I’m also a Stage IV kidney cancer patient and survivor, a former reporter, PR consultant and higher ed administrator. I was diagnosed on March 3, 2011, after X-rays of what I thought was a wrenched shoulder turned out to be a bone tumor. I’ve passed my 7-year Cancerversary very much alive, kicking and accepting of my situation (most of the time anyway).

I was in a Phase 1 trial of “Nivo” and “Ipi” (Opdivo and Yervoy for the brand-aware) for almost three years. At present I’m cancer free from the neck down. Upstairs, I’ve been treated for five small brain tumors with high dosage, focused radiation, most recently in June 2017. I get tired quicker than I used too, and my focus may not be as sharp and sustained as it once was. That could be due to treatment side effects, but then again I’m getting older (Date of Birth: 10-28-64). I also have arthritis, an autoimmune reaction to immunotherapy. And I’m still working my way back to full mobility after a knee and partial femur replacement in 2017.

As Immunopatient I hope to offer insights, information and opinion on all aspects of the cancer experience, with a focus on immunotherapy, a promising frontier in cancer treatment. Some of my early posts came from my book, Immunopatient: The New Frontier of Curing Cancer. 

Welcome.