Diane’s story: Beat lymphoma with CAR T-cell therapy
Diane Ashby of Roswell, Georgia, says her cancer journey began in an “oh-so-unexpected” manner. In the fall of 2022, she finally decided to retire after 48 years of service across three major technology companies. She and her family spent a week at the beach to celebrate. That’s when she started experiencing unbelievable pain in her stomach – like nothing she’d ever felt before.
Diane continues her story below.
Thinking it was perhaps food poisoning, I was not really concerned. When I returned home, I continued my plans to end the year with previously scheduled business travel. First stop: Florida. All was well during my meetings, that is, until I got back to the airport to return to Atlanta. The pain returned, and it was excruciating.
The next day, I was at my general practitioner’s office and was advised that I had what appeared to be a blockage of my colon. I was advised to go to the emergency room immediately, where I spent the next six hours wondering what could possibly be happening to me. I was healthy. I followed a Mediterranean diet plan and worked out 5-6 days weekly. What could possibly be wrong?
I was startled when, at discharge, they referred me to an oncologist for further testing. After a few requests for a different referral, I ended up with Dr. Lynn Zemsky at Georgia Cancer Specialists, affiliated with Northside Hospital Cancer Institute. What a blessing from God. It turns out that I’ve known Dr. Zemsky for probably 20 years through our families. She was so comforting and my cancer diagnosis was confirmed on Oct. 28, 2022 — large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
After several months of chemotherapy, it was time to do a PET scan to determine my progress with the goal of being cancer-free. Unfortunately, this was not the case; there was a very small amount of cancer still active within me. It was time to go to plan B.
I had what is known as primary refractory lymphoma. In April 2023, Dr. Zemsky referred me to the Blood and Marrow Transplant Group of Georgia (BMTGA) for a consultation. This was my first meeting with Dr. Melhem Solh.
My first hurdle was being accepted as a patient, which included determining whether I was a good candidate for CAR T-cell therapy or other treatments that would provide a better level of success than just chemotherapy alone. We started with tons of blood work, scans and mental, emotional and physical assessments before I got the green light to become a patient eligible for CAR T-cell therapy.
Dr. Solh and his team were excellent. I began the process of preparing for a CAR T-cell infusion. The BMTGA phlebotomists were excellent and made it tolerable to have blood draws time and time again. I can’t imagine how many patients they’ve seen over the years who never experienced the joy of remission. I was taking an inordinate amount of prescriptions, or at least it seemed that way to me as a previously healthy person taking only vitamins and supplements. Dr. Solh’s pharmacist was so very helpful to me. Enabling my spouse and I to understand the various drugs and what they were for.
Of course, during this time, I got to know Dr. Solh; he is another true gift from God — understanding me, my family, my needs and my absolute desire to live for myself, my family and my friends.
The time had come for the infusion on July 11, 2023. The procedure itself is not so bad. If you know someone or have family members on dialysis, you can get a ‘peek’ at the technology of withdrawing your blood, separating the T cells and returning the remaining blood to your body.
Before returning the T cells to your body, they are sent off to be re-engineered, and this entire concept exceeds any Avengers movie you’ve ever seen or experienced. However, within a week of receiving my re-engineered cells, I was in the hospital in a state of delirium. Feeling like I was losing my ability to walk, talk, think and engage with others in a meaningful way. I was experiencing cytokine release syndrome, when the CAR T-cells cause an inflammatory response within the body.
I was determined not to let it take me down, and within a week, I was out of the hospital and recovering at home. I don’t in any way want to minimize the effort it takes to recover from CAR T — not just the weakness of the body but also of the mind and spirit. Thus, the next chapter of my journey began — physical therapy, cognitive exercises, healthy eating and determination to come out on the outside as good as I once was, if not better.
At 100 days after my infusion, my PET scan showed I was in complete remission — all of the lymphoma cells were gone! I was over the moon and full of joy, gratitude and relief. My subsequent PET scans showed a continued response to my CAR T-cell therapy, a miracle!
Now, 16 months beyond my CAR T-cell infusion, I am in full remission and beginning to feel myself again. My energy, cognitive abilities and absolute zeal for life are all back. None of this would have been possible without Dr. Melhem Solh and the great team at BMTGA and Northside’s Immunotherapy Program.