CAR-T Clinical Trial Saved Me

Bobby Hagy, a Military veteran, served in the US Army for 33 years. When he was in the army, he was confident and strong as a soldier. He spent 19 years in special ops. But at the age of 47, he was attacked by cancer. He was approaching his retirement from the military at the time.

For days Bobby had felt difficulty and pain while swallowing food. He took some medicines but nothing helped it go away. He feared something might be wrong with him. Bobby's doctor diagnosed him with a tumor that was a type of advanced B-cell blood cancer. The tumor was on his tongue.



Doctors started treating Bobby. They were not sure what the results would be at that time. After the first round of his treatment, the cancer stabilized. He went into remission. But after 18 months, the cancer returned. He went for treatment again and got it under control, but after 10 months his cancer was back yet again.

Fighting like a Soldier

With little to no options left, his physician introduced him to a clinical trial of CAR-T cell therapy. This trial was aimed at reprogramming a person's own T cells into CAR-T cells, giving them the ability and capacity to detect and destroy cancerous cells. Of course, there were some serious side-effects, but with no choice left, Bobby decided to enroll in the trial.

"I felt like I was going to lose the battle with my cancer," Bobby said. "There were only a few FDA-approved treatments and all had failed. It was devastating even for a strong man like me but I was fighting to bounce back."

A few weeks into the trial, Bobby's results came out positive. CAR-T cell therapy worked on him as expected. His tumors had reduced and he was able to eat food without much discomfort.

After a few months, he regained his ability to eat food without any discomfort at all and showed no symptoms of his cancer.

Survival and Revival

"I am still in remission but I am healthy," Bobby said. "I spend most of my time with my family, my army friends, training dogs, exercising, and spreading awareness about clinical trials."

Now, Bobby is working with a non-profit organization on an initiative to educate people about this innovative CAR-T therapy and inspire others to take part in clinical trials. He meets with people, tells them his story, and motivates them to be hopeful about their clinical trials and the future of cancer treatments.

"I am thankful to my doctors and their research to advance medical science," Bobby said. "They gave me my life back. Now, I encourage people to participate in clinical trials for advanced treatments and for the good of future generations."