{"id":192196,"date":"2021-03-02T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T05:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/life-after-lymphoma-charlottes-next-act\/"},"modified":"2021-03-02T08:00:22","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T05:00:22","slug":"life-after-lymphoma-charlottes-next-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/life-after-lymphoma-charlottes-next-act\/","title":{"rendered":"#Life after lymphoma: Charlotte\u2019s next act"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2ee3b94a460\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2ee3b94a460\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/life-after-lymphoma-charlottes-next-act\/#Cell_therapy_at_work\" >Cell therapy at work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/life-after-lymphoma-charlottes-next-act\/#All_hands_on_deck\" >All hands on deck<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/life-after-lymphoma-charlottes-next-act\/#Finding_her_voice\" >Finding her voice<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Life after lymphoma: Charlotte\u2019s next act<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At age 64, Charlotte Grad was showing no sign of slowing down. She was an avid <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ler, a loving grandmother, a theatre regular and a fitness enthusiast. If she wasn\u2019t at the gym, she was hiking or cycling one of the many trails near her Markham, Ont., home. Charlotte and her partner of 23 years, Colin, were keen to get the most out of every moment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was 2017, and Charlotte was preparing for a long-awaited adventure through India when she began to feel a persistent pain near her groin. She knew her body well, however, and saw no reason to change her travel plans. While overseas, though, things worsened. \u201cWe went to India for two weeks and I was on anti-inflammatories and ibuprofen the entire time,\u201d recalls Charlotte. \u201cI began to think I probably needed a new hip. I mean, I was 64 years old and I\u2019d been heavy into exercise for 20 years, so it seemed like I was due.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charlotte looks back on her trip to Delhi, Varanasi, and Jaipur fondly, but she concedes that this was when she knew something was seriously wrong. \u201cWhen I returned to Canada, my doctor ordered a bone scan, and the bone scan showed something that shouldn\u2019t have been there,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s when the ball really started rolling.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1217665 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/20210223-CAR-T-Stills-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1688\" height=\"1125\"\/>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cell_therapy_at_work\"><\/span><b>Cell therapy at work<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charlotte\u2019s medical team originally suspected the mass to be sarcoma, but after a biopsy it was determined to be diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). \u201cWhen they first diagnosed me, they told me that I was a lucky lady, because NHL has a better survival rate than soft-tissue sarcoma,\u201d Charlotte says. \u201cWhat they didn\u2019t know yet was that my particular cancer had two mutations, which made it more aggressive and resistant to anti-tumour treatments. They also didn\u2019t know that it had already advanced to stage four.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After enduring two rounds of chemotherapy and two trials, Charlotte\u2019s cancer had doubled in size instead of shrinking. This rendered her ineligible for stem cell transplantation. \u201cThat\u2019s when you really see all the odds change,\u201d says Charlotte\u2019s oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre\u2019s Dr. John Kuruvilla. \u201cWe then got into a very dire scenario where there was no treatment authorized for sale in Canada and we had to look to experimental options.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThey sent me home,\u201d Charlotte recalls. \u201cAt that point, they told me that I had six months to a year to live.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1217668 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/20210223-CAR-T-Stills-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1688\" height=\"1125\"\/>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"All_hands_on_deck\"><\/span><b>All hands on deck<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During this time of incredible uncertainty, Charlotte and the eldest of her three children, Melanie, threw themselves into researching every option available to relapsed or refractory DLBCL patients. In their search, and through continuous consultation with Dr. Kuruvilla, their collective focus shifted toward a cutting-edge class of therapy called chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR T cell therapy. \u201cThe goal with CAR T therapy is to take immune cells from the patient and engineer them so that they\u2019re targeted against a specific marker expressed on the cancer cells and activated to kill those cells when they come into contact with them,\u201d explains Dr. Kuruvilla. \u201cOnce that\u2019s been done, the cells are reintroduced into the patient\u2019s bloodstream.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charlotte was given the option of pursuing CAR T therapy in the United States. However, she elected to be treated closer to home\u2014something that wouldn\u2019t have been possible without the hard work and support of Dr. Kuruvilla and his team. In August of 2018, Charlotte underwent the many physical exams and tests that would prepare her for having her immune cells harvested. Once harvested, these same cells were sent to a lab to be engineered.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By September, the genetically altered cells were back in Toronto and ready to be reintroduced into her bloodstream. After weeks of anxious anticipation, it all came down to a short, hour-long procedure. Charlotte was then promptly admitted to the hospital for two weeks to be monitored closely for side effects. \u201cThe whole time I was in the hospital, Colin and my kids were in the room with me 24 hours a day in shifts,\u201d she says. \u201cI wasn\u2019t left alone for a minute. I remember thinking that I needed to get through it for them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1217666\" style=\"width: 1698px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1217666 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/20210217-PV-CAR-T_Stills-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1688\" height=\"1125\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charlotte\u2019s oncologist, PMCC\u2019s Dr. John Kuruvilla.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Finding_her_voice\"><\/span><b>Finding her voice<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two years later, Charlotte remains in remission, and she credits her health care team for every hike, vacation, birthday, and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a>ly distanced visit with her grandson. But\u2013in her case\u2013Charlotte likely wouldn\u2019t be here today if not for access to CAR T therapy through a clinical trial. Unfortunately, there are others who are still waiting for access to therapies like CAR T therapy. \u201cThere are only a handful of centres across Canada that are set up to give the treatment,\u201d says Dr. Kuruvilla. \u201cSo, for now, there\u2019s this inequity of access across the country that we really want to see corrected.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even in remission, advocacy and hope remain near and dear to Charlotte\u2019s heart, which is why she\u2019s so glad to share her story. \u201cI want people to know that you can live with cancer,\u201d she says. \u201cIt might kill you or it might not, but you can keep living in the meantime. When I was first diagnosed, I didn\u2019t know you could do that. If I can inspire one person not to give up, to hold on and continue to self-educate and advocate for their health, I\u2019ll be so h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In early 2020, Charlotte took an acting course at Ryerson University, a self-admitted departure from her comfort zone. She\u2019s also hiking again with Colin, up to five days a week. All these things would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cToday, I feel amazing,\u201d Charlotte says, her zest for life matched by the bright red shade of her eyeglass frames. \u201cI\u2019m planning my life again. For two years, I couldn\u2019t plan anything even a month ahead. Now I have as much of a future as anybody. I truthfully cherish every day. I\u2019m not going to miss a moment of it. The vibrancy of everything is so beautiful to me now.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1217667 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/20210217-PV-CAR-T_Stills-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1652\" height=\"1101\"\/><b>Lymphoma Canada is dedicated to ensuring all lymphoma patients across the country have access to the most accurate and up-to-date information about their illness, the support they need, and the best available care and treatments\u00a0<\/b><b>for each lymphoma subtype<\/b><b>.\u00a0<\/b><b>Please visit\u00a0<\/b><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=331228&amp;s=331225\"><b>lymphoma.ca<\/b><\/a><b>\u00a0to find additional resources, seek support, or to learn more.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Connect with us:<br \/><\/b><b>Facebook: <\/b><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=331229&amp;s=331225\"><b>@LymphomaCanada<\/b><\/a><br \/><b>Twitter: <\/b><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=331230&amp;s=331225\"><b>@LymphomaCanada<\/b><\/a><br \/><b>Instagram: <\/b><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=331231&amp;s=331225\"><b>@lymphomacanada<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sponsored by a member of Innovative Medicines Canada.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/sponsored\/life-after-lymphoma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Life after lymphoma: Charlotte\u2019s next act&#8221; At age 64, Charlotte Grad was showing no sign of slowing down. She was an avid traveller, a loving grandmother, a theatre regular and a fitness enthusiast. If she wasn\u2019t at the gym, she was hiking or cycling one of the many trails near her Markham, Ont., home. Charlotte&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":192197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/20210223-CAR-T-Stills-9-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}