Lyle’s story: Thankful for CAR T-cell therapy
With the holidays upon us, Lyle Hermann says he has a lot to be thankful for — recently adding CAR T-cell therapy to his list.
In January 2016, Lyle was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that develops in plasma cells in the bone marrow; it’s similar to lymphoma and leukemia. Though he didn’t panic, he was initially surprised by the diagnosis, as he had previously been in excellent health, going for walks with his wife of more than 50 years, exercising, and playing with his two grandchildren. He admits he did not know what to expect and what was to come, but he wasn’t afraid of the unknown.
“Once I knew my diagnosis I immediately called my wife and told her,” he recalled. “I remember being concerned, yet not overly worried, so I decided to keep a positive attitude, focus on all the things I have to be thankful for and hold my head high no matter what happened.”
Lyle was referred to the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program at Northside Hospital, where he and his wife met with Dr. Asad Bashey, whom Lyle said he immediately trusted and respected.
After a few different treatment programs, Dr. Bashey recommended an autologous (Lyle’s own blood) stem cell transplant, which occurred in June 2016. He spent a week in the BMT wing of Northside and was extremely weak, though he thinks back to how well he was taken care of and how cheerfully the staff treated him.
“Everyone on my medical team was very nice and professional and I liked and trusted everyone who took such good care of me,” Lyle said. “I learned early on that BMT and Northside Hospital are prestigious and live up to that ‘title’. It was a blessing to be able to be treated here in Atlanta. I didn’t have to travel to another clinic or hospital because I had world class cancer care here at home."
Once released from the hospital, Lyle made the daily trek for many weeks from Kennesaw to the Northside for infusions. He was quarantined for 100 days, driving back and forth from home to the infusion center, his wife at his side each time and staff welcoming him every day as though he was family.
After a few months in remission, Lyle discovered his cancer was growing again and underwent an allogeneic stem cell transplant, blood cheerfully donated by one of his daughters. He received his transplant in October 2017 and admits he had much more difficulty with this treatment. He was extremely weak most of the 27 days he was in the hospital and remembers one day that he was especially weak with no light at the end of the tunnel to get stronger and go home.
“This was my lowest moment and the one and only time I felt sorry for myself,” Lyle said. “But I am proud that I quickly got over that feeling and went back to my positive attitude. I am thankful for many people and many things. It helps me a lot to focus on that.”
Fast forward four years, Lyle’s multiple myeloma returned, more aggressively this time. Though he went through a few other treatment programs, nothing worked for very long, which led Dr. Bashey to recommend chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.
CAR T-cell therapy has recently emerged as a revolutionary treatment for patients with certain types of blood cancers, and since 2017, Northside is one of only three locations in Georgia to offer this groundbreaking treatment. Lyle’s blood was taken, and his T-cells were sorted out and sent to Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), who reprogramed those cells to identify, attack and kill the multiple myeloma cells. Those reprogrammed cells were put back into Lyle’s body. In reflection, he said he was in awe of the brilliant scientists who developed the amazing treatment.
“When Dr. Bashey recommended CAR T-cell therapy, I immediately thought ‘HOW WONDERFUL!’ The more I learned about BMS and what they were going to do, I was completely overwhelmed and thought that hopefully this treatment would put my cancer into remission for a long time.”
Lyle joked that he could have invented the wheel but never could have imagined inventing something so sophisticated as CAR-T.
He received his CAR T-cell transplant in late March of 2022 and spent a week in the hospital, where he was again, extremely weak, then spent several weeks at Northside for daily infusions.
A few months later, Lyle was highly optimistic about CAR-T but anxious about his cancer status. He visited Dr. Bashey for a follow-up appointment. To his and his wife’s delight, his multiple myeloma was in remission. Since then, Lyle has been re-staged every six months and with each stage his cancer has been in remission. The last re-staging included his 23rd bone marrow biopsy.
Lyle last saw Dr. Bashey in March 2024. All of his labs looked great, and his multiple myeloma was still in remission — 24 months after his CAR-T cell treatment. He is pleased his immune system is stronger than it’s been in years. Yet, he realizes his immune system is still somewhat weak.
“CAR-T changed my life,” Lyle said. “I am overjoyed with the success of this wondrous treatment and can’t say enough good things about the entire BMT unit and Northside Hospital medical professionals. Thanks to CAR-T, I no longer need to live in a bubble.”
Because of the treatment, Lyle and his wife Teresa have been able to seek out new adventures and check travel destinations off their bucket list including: the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion and Arches National Parks, Niagara Falls and Glacier National Park. They plan to visit Yellowstone next.
“I wouldn’t be here today without BMT, Northside Hospital and the support of my superstar caregiver wife and two daughters,” Lyle mentions. “My wife Teresa cheerfully supported me through all the ups and downs of my 9-year cancer journey. For example, she drove me to most of the 450 trips to BMT and the infusion center.
Lyle encourages other patients to keep a positive attitude and focus on the things they are thankful for. “Trust and respect the BMT and Northside Medical team, follow their instructions, be on time and respectful. But most importantly, take care of your own medical care. Don’t rely on your medical team to remember or do everything for you,” he said.
Though Lyle admits his cancer journey has changed his outlook on life, he’s choosing to keep a positive attitude and focus on the things he’s thankful for, which now includes CAR T-cell therapy.